[For Kids] Fun Entertainment and Activities to Liven Up a Festival
We’ve collected ideas for entertaining performances and attractions that will liven up large community fairs as well as school and daycare festival events.
Since these are aimed at children, this is perfect if you’re looking for things like “performances involving lots of kids” or “entertainment for children enjoying the festival.” We’ve selected a variety of ideas, from activities that are especially fun within a close-knit group to ones that get everyone excited—even among people who don’t know each other.
Feeling unsure if you can pull it off? Don’t worry—keep challenging yourself to create wonderful memories, and let’s make it a fun festival!
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[For Kids] Fun Side Shows and Entertainment at Festivals (11–20)
Naruko Dance
The Yosakoi Festival in Kochi Prefecture began in 1954 with the goal of revitalizing the local community.
When people think of the Yosakoi Festival, many picture the “naruko dance,” performed while holding wooden clappers called naruko in both hands.
It has more of a traditional Japanese flavor than modern dance and fits perfectly with festival entertainment.
Children dancing are adorable, and the click-clack of the naruko and the kids’ spirited shouts really lift the festive mood.
Since it’s a festival, dressing in matching happi coats and dancing together makes it an especially lively performance!
Magic Show
Magic has long been one of the most exciting attractions.
You can hire a professional, but it’s also great when local people perform simple tricks.
These days, you can even find real, full-fledged magic sets at variety stores.
Get the kids involved in the magic and let everyone have fun together!
manzai (a traditional Japanese stand-up comedy duo performance)
When it comes to entertainment that instantly brightens the atmosphere of a festival, manzai is the go-to.
A duo decides on a theme in advance and delivers quick-witted banter—playful jokes and sharp comebacks—about festival-related topics.
We recommend incorporating seasonal material and relatable “everyday” bits from workplaces or schools.
By keeping up a lively back-and-forth, the audience naturally gets drawn in.
The key is to wrap things up with a punchline that ties the story together and creates a peak of laughter.
It’s an idea that can deliver many kinds of laughs through snappy talk, unique expressions, and more.
balloon art
Balloon art, which you often see at street performances, uses colorful, long balloons that are inflated and combined to create pieces.
Watching a piece come together right before your eyes is exciting and fun, isn’t it? With balloon art, there are plenty of things even beginners can make, so it’s perfect for children’s performances too.
Start by practicing simple items like flowers or dogs.
If you gift them as accessories that can be worn on the spot, like on the arm, people will love it and it really livens things up!
Soran Bushi
The Soran Bushi is originally a folk song from Hokkaido.
It’s a song themed around herring fishing in Hokkaido, and these days it’s often performed at events like school sports days.
Kids dancing it in happi coats would be pretty cool and exciting, wouldn’t it? It works well with a small group, and with a large group it becomes a very impressive performance.
children’s taiko drums
A taiko drum team made up only of children is adorable, isn’t it? Even though they’re kids, by the time they’re in the upper grades of elementary school, they can play solidly and sometimes show off skills that even amaze adults.
How about having kids who don’t usually get to play taiko practice for a festival? Think of the festival as a recital and show the results of all the practice up to that day.
Little ones wearing happi coats and tenugui headbands with the classic dotted pattern look adorable, too.
children’s portable shrine (for festivals)
One essential part of a festival is the mikoshi, isn’t it? A mikoshi is a portable shrine that carries the deity; it sets out from the shrine to spread the god’s power throughout the town and is said to have the meaning of warding off misfortune.
In the area where I lived, there were two kinds of children’s mikoshi: one carried by the older kids and another that the smaller children walked along with, pulling it by a rope.
Hearing the lively shouts of the children really energizes the spectators too!
hero show
If a Super Sentai hero showed up at the festival, the kids would be thrilled! How about adding a hero show—something kids love—as entertainment for the event? Preparing costumes and a storyline might be a lot of work, but it could be great to have local adults plan and put on a handmade hero show.
And if the budget allows, you might even invite a local hero group active in the area to perform.
Please consider planning a hero show that both children and adults can enjoy together!
Candy fishing
There may be many children who have never been fishing.
For those kids, enjoying the feeling of fishing with a “candy fishing” game at a festival might be a great idea.
A common version uses a magnet instead of a hook.
If the magnet matches the one attached to the candy, you can successfully “reel in” the treat.
Struggling with the swaying fishing line is part of the fun of this activity.
If you make the line longer and place the prizes a bit farther away, it becomes a slightly more challenging recreation.
Mixing a secret prize among the candies will make it even more exciting.
Chorus
How about having everyone practice and perform a choral song? It would be great to have the kids perform on their own, or collaborate with a moms’ chorus group for an impressive show.
If there’s a child who’s good at piano, you could even ask them to accompany, like in a school choir competition.
Choosing which song to perform is part of the fun, too.