Ideas for pretend festivals you can enjoy at home
We’ve always taken it for granted that we could enjoy festivals, but during the COVID-19 pandemic many were canceled, and even when they were held, they were scaled down, so the chances to enjoy them dropped dramatically.
Amid this, a quiet trend has emerged: enjoying festival fun at home—kids love food stalls and festival games, while adults savor stall-style gourmet foods with a drink in hand.
Even just serving dishes you don’t usually eat at home or switching up the tableware can instantly create the right atmosphere, so try using items from 100-yen shops and have fun with it!
It’s not just for home—you can enjoy it at preschools and elementary schools too!
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Festival play ideas you can enjoy at home (11–20)
Yo-yo fishing
How about yo-yo fishing, a game you can enjoy from the moment you make the purchase? In this game, you fish water balloons with rubber strings out of a small pool.
Of course, you can play with the balloons after you catch them, but simply dangling one from your hand also lets you enjoy the festive atmosphere.
If you’re planning to play at a school or kindergarten, it’s best to get a kid-sized pool and a commercial balloon set.
Also, there are many varieties of balloons, including ones printed with popular characters.
Offering a wide lineup makes it fun for everyone to find a design they like.
mini basketball
@brechojuribas Construímos um jogo de Mini Basketball para a festa junina, querem tutorial? #tutorial#festajunina#arraia#festajunina2025#minibasketball#basketball#jogo#minijogo#vaipraforyou#foryoupage#fyp
♬ som original – Ju Ribas
Let’s make something with items you have at home! Here are ideas for a mini basketball game.
These are great for anyone who wants to set up a basketball-like corner.
You’ll need cardboard or boards, paint, construction paper, plastic cups, double-sided tape or glue, clothespins, and balls made by crumpling paper.
The appeal is that you can make it with materials found at home or in a classroom! Give it a try.
You can also adapt it by changing to a hand-thrown ball method to suit the child’s age.
Handmade mask
One thing you can’t help but want at a festival is a mask.
If you have children, many of you probably get begged for one every time you go.
Try bringing that mask booth experience into your at-home festival, too.
While making a full-fledged mask is difficult, there’s a simple version you can make at home: print a character image on paper, laminate it and cut it out, punch out the eye holes, and thread a rubber band through holes made with a craft punch.
Be sure to prepare a variety of designs so the kids can enjoy the time spent choosing their favorite.
Play footage of fireworks
Fireworks that beautifully color the night sky are the grand finale of a festival, leaving you with a real sense that it was a fun celebration.
Since actually launching fireworks yourself is difficult, how about getting into the mood by watching them on video? It’s a good idea to be selective with your video choices and to watch in an environment that makes the visuals stand out even more.
After experiencing powerful footage, you might feel an even stronger desire to go there in person and feel the sound and vibrations of the fireworks yourself.
karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken)
Festival food stalls are irresistible, aren’t they? Candy apples, shaved ice, frankfurters, yakisoba—everyone has flavors they can’t forget.
Today, let’s take a look at one of the all-time classics: karaage (Japanese fried chicken).
Karaage is easy to eat while walking, and it’s hard to go wrong no matter which stall you buy it from.
Plus, it’s simple to make at home—just season, coat, and fry.
If you serve it in a paper cup and eat it with a toothpick like at a festival, you can capture that festive feeling right at home!
cotton candy
With its fluffy look and texture, cotton candy really accentuates the fun, bustling atmosphere of a festival, doesn’t it? How about using a dedicated machine to make your own cotton candy at home, letting people imagine the excitement of a festival along with the delicious taste? At festivals, you usually just buy and eat what’s already made, so a big perk of doing it at home is that you can enjoy the whole process from making it to eating it.
And if you use hard candies instead of just granulated sugar, you can add colors, so trying your hand at creating your own original cotton candy might be a great idea.
Festival play ideas you can enjoy at home (21–30)
French fries
When it comes to foods loved by everyone from children to adults, French fries might be at the top of the list.
The ones you often see at festival stalls are the classic thin, crispy fries.
Even though we eat them regularly, they somehow taste even better at a festival, don’t they? French fries are also sold as frozen foods and only need to be fried, so they’re easy to include on a home festival menu.
Even if you make them from scratch, it’s not too much work—just julienne some potatoes, soak them in water, drain them well, and fry.