Fun for adults and kids alike! Home festival ideas to capture the lively spirit of a Japanese matsuri
Triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have probably found fewer opportunities to fully enjoy themselves outdoors or spend time in crowded places.
There are plenty of fun things to do at home, but lots of kids still look forward to festivals and fair-style events.
However, sometimes festivals aren’t held, or it’s difficult to go where there are crowds.
In times like these, why not host an at-home “Ennichi” fair that you can enjoy with family and friends? Prepare classic festival-style foods and games, and have fun with attractions that are every bit as appealing as the real thing! It’s not just for summer—doing it for your child’s birthday, for example, is sure to make them happy!
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Fun for adults and kids! Home festival ideas to enjoy the matsuri vibe (41–50)
Strikeout
It’s the familiar game you often see on TV, where you try to throw a ball with force and punch out a target.
You can adjust the difficulty by changing the target size, the distance, and the type of ball used.
The fun of this game is watching the target pop out cleanly when the ball hits it, so focus on that aspect when making your own.
An ideal setup for strikeout would be a sturdy outer frame that isn’t affected by impacts, with lightweight targets attached to it that the ball can punch through.
Photo spot
Why not preserve your special memories in photos? With that in mind, I suggest creating a photo spot.
You can make it however you like—craft a festival sign with a bamboo screen or hang some paper lanterns.
Using a wall or similar surface as the background helps the photos pop.
Of course, taking pictures with a smartphone works, but disposable cameras or instant cameras like a Cheki add great atmosphere.
And since you’re taking photos anyway, I hope you’ll put some thought into your outfits too.
target practice
It’s similar to a shooting gallery, but the target-throw game uses balls, making it safe even for small children.
You can line up prizes on a table and have players aim at them with balls, or set point values for targets and let the prizes vary based on total points.
There are many target-throw sets available for rent, including panel types and parachute types.
If your festival is large, renting is a good option.
For smaller festivals, consider making your own and adjusting the difficulty based on the ages of the participating children.
mold cutting
Katanuki, a game where you battle with a candy made of pink sugar, is one of the must-have stalls at festival fairs.
If you don’t apply pressure just right or poke it carefully with the needle, it quickly cracks and you fail.
Many people probably remember trying again and again after repeated failures.
You can easily get katanuki molds from online shops, so it’s also great for a festival-at-home.
Why not prepare some prizes for when someone succeeds and enjoy it with your kids? You might be surprised to find the parents get even more into it.
Ramune
Bottled Ramune brings back memories for adults and seniors, and kids can enjoy it too.
Ramune, which you drink by pushing the marble from the bottle cap into the bottle, is one of the highlights of a festival stall.
It takes a little technique to drop the marble without spilling, so parents should show their kids how to do it.
Just in case, it’s a good idea to put something underneath when opening it.
Even if it fizzes over or spills, that will surely become a fond memory too.
Pick up a bottle of Ramune and enjoy the festive atmosphere!
Aquarium coin pusher
It’s a game where a small dish is placed at the bottom of a large water-filled tank, and you drop coins aiming for the dish.
The appeal is how easy it is to set up: all you need is a large tank, a target dish, and some coins.
As long as you have space to put the tank, you can enjoy it even in a limited area.
Decide in advance how many coins each player can use, and compete to see how many land in the dish—that format is easy to understand.
It’s fun to watch the coins not fall as you expect due to water resistance, and if you stir the water to create a current, you can raise the difficulty and make it even more interesting!
Treasure Hunt
A slightly unusual festival booth idea is a treasure hunt.
When you hear “treasure hunt,” you might imagine roaming around a large area, but it’s actually easy to do even in a small space! A recommended approach is to prepare a container filled with lots of sand, bury the treasures inside, and have participants search for them.
Depending on what you bury, you can put the prizes themselves in the sand, but it’s better to bury colored stones and let the prize vary by the color found.
That way, you don’t have to worry about the prizes getting dirty.
Besides sand, you can also change things up by hiding the treasures in opaque, colored water—feel free to experiment with how you conceal the treasures to your liking.
In conclusion
You can’t help but think, “I want to copy every single at-home festival idea!” right? Just changing a familiar everyday space into a different situation is sure to be fun not only for kids but for adults too.
Take lots of photos and make your at-home festival a memory to treasure!