[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 Performances and Attractions at Festivals (21–30)
Challenge the ‘Jugemu’ tongue twister!
A classic staple among opening acts in rakugo! The tongue twister “Jugemu” is famous, and it’s surprising to learn it’s actually a person’s name.
The story goes that when auspicious words wishing for a long life were strung together, it ended up this long.
For elementary school kids, it may seem like a confusing string of words and feel difficult, but there are some funny phrases along the way, and near the end it finally sounds like a real name with “Chosuke.” If you can say it, that’s amazing! You’ll definitely get praised, so don’t give up—practice and wow everyone.
A tube-ken like a kendama!
When it comes to traditional Japanese toys, there’s kendama, but it requires equipment and you have to carry it around with you.
I’m not sure how it came to be, but there’s a game called “tsutsuken” that you can play like kendama using just a simple tube and a ball that’s a bit too big to fit entirely inside the tube.
For the tube, you could even use something like the container from tube-shaped potato chips.
It’s easy to get started, so practice regularly and be sure to show it off in front of everyone!
My First Diabolo
Why not try diabolo, a form of juggling? From a beginner’s perspective, it’s amazing how the string doesn’t get tangled, but the instructions explain the practice method clearly, so use them as a guide and give it a try.
We’ll start with the basic steps—how to spin the diabolo.
To perform diabolo tricks, you need to spin the spool steadily and keep it going.
This basic step is very important, so be sure to master it.
Once you do, it will become a hidden talent that’s useful in any situation.
Recommended for koma lovers! Tightrope-walking tricks
If you’re good at spinning tops, how about showing off a slightly more advanced trick called “tightrope walking”? In this trick, the top travels along a string that you hold taut with both hands.
Before attempting it, you first need to learn a move called “Swallow Return.” Swallow Return is a trick where you throw a top with its string wound and catch it spinning on your palm.
Once the top is on your palm, hook both ends of the string around your index fingers.
Raise the hand without the top slightly; when the top’s spindle touches the string, lower the raised hand and guide the top along—if it keeps moving, you’ve nailed the trick! Practice well and give it a try.
Unicycle master!
A unicycle is more challenging than a bicycle because it doesn’t have handlebars.
That’s exactly why people who can ride one look so impressive! It’s also a perfect idea to show off as a hidden talent.
The key to riding a unicycle is to focus on moving forward from your navel.
Start by simply pedaling straight, then gradually try turning and taking curves.
Performing solo is great, but forming a team with a few people and presenting a dance-like routine to music is also highly recommended! Give it a try!
Quiz tournament
How about trying to hold a quiz competition? You could make it a true-or-false quiz, a multiple-choice quiz, or a format where participants write their answers on sketchbooks—there are lots of possibilities.
There are also plenty of quiz videos available nowadays, so let’s make use of them.
Since some questions might be difficult depending on age, it could be a good idea to roughly divide participants by age groups, such as preschoolers and lower elementary grades.
Cross-dressing contest
How about a cross-dressing contest as a stage event for the festival? In fact, cross-dressing contests are surprisingly popular and are a staple attraction at various events.
They’re fun to watch, with a wide variety of participants—from those who are clearly cross-dressing in a humorous way to those who look convincingly like beautiful girls.
While recruiting participants and preparing costumes can be a lot of work beforehand, it’s highly recommended because everyone gets excited and has a great time.
Water gun battle
A water-gun battle that’s sure to captivate kids and adults alike! It’s a perfect attraction for festivals during the hot season.
You could attach targets on hats or helmets and have people shoot at the targets with water guns—that sounds fun, right? If there are lots of participants, a tournament format would work too.
Plastic water guns can be bought at 100-yen shops, so costs stay low.
It might also be nice to let kids try bamboo water guns, which many of them probably haven’t seen before!
Haunted house
How about holding a haunted house as a recommended attraction that both children and their guardians can enjoy together? Try designing a not-too-scary haunted house so even small children can participate! Instead of assigning people to scare guests, you could create the haunted-house atmosphere with handmade ghosts, spider webs, skeletons, and gravestones.
It’s also a good idea to set some ground rules for the haunted house in advance, and adding game elements—like retrieving a treasure—could make it even more exciting.
Children’s Dedication Sumo Tournament
Let’s hold a children’s sumo tournament! While sumo is a form of entertainment, it originally began as a traditional Shinto ritual in Japan.
That’s why hosting a sumo tournament at a festival is a perfect fit—there’s even a tradition called ‘dedicatory sumo’ (hono-sumo).
Since there can be differences in physique, divide boys and girls, and within each group, organize matches by lower, middle, and upper elementary grades.