Handmade decoration ideas for summer festivals
A summer festival packed with fun attractions like food stalls, drums, and Bon Odori dancing.
Many people, from children to adults, look forward to summer festivals.
In this article, we’ll introduce handmade decoration ideas you can use for summer festivals.
These ideas are perfect not only for festivals held at nurseries, kindergartens, and senior care facilities, but also for families planning a home fair.
They’re easy to make, so create plenty of decorations and recreate the lively festival atmosphere!
[Summer Festival] Handmade Decoration Ideas (1–10)
wind chime
The wind chime, a hallmark of summer.
The clear, tinkling sound it makes as it catches the breeze feels so cool and charming, doesn’t it? Try incorporating wind chimes into your summer festival decorations.
Here’s an idea for a wind chime made with two sheets of origami paper.
Use the first sheet to create the exterior of the chime and the second for the hanging strip (tanzaku).
For the exterior, fold the origami into a square, make a crease at the lower-right corner, trace the shape, and cut it out.
As you assemble it into the wind chime shape, attach both the hanging string and the string for the tanzaku.
For the tanzaku, cut the origami in half, fold it lengthwise to make a long strip, and attach it to the string.
lantern garland
Getting real lanterns can be costly and bulky, which makes them a hassle.
In times like that, garland-style lanterns are a great option.
Cut lantern shapes out of construction paper or cardstock, thread them together, and you’re done! If you keep them flat, they’re easy to use as wall decorations; or make them a bit three-dimensional and string them across the ceiling.
Using lanterns in various colors and patterns will make the display look lively and festive.
Just a small arrangement on the wall can instantly create a festival mood, so give it a try!
Giant Sunflower Decoration
If you’re thinking about a main summer-themed decoration, how about a “giant sunflower”? This idea uses tissue paper and lets you create a beautiful sunflower with ease.
Prepare three sheets of yellow tissue paper and six sheets of brown tissue paper.
The brown sheets should be about half the size of the yellow ones.
Stack each color separately, crease them in half, then open them back up.
For the brown tissue paper, cut the top and bottom edges into a jagged shape.
Place the brown tissue paper centered on top of the yellow stack, then accordion-fold them together so they don’t shift.
Tie the center with fishing line (or clear thread), and round off the ends of the tissue paper with scissors.
Carefully fluff open each sheet one by one so they don’t tear, shape it, and you’re done!
candied fruit
Let’s make popular candied fruits! We’ll make three kinds: apple, grape, and mandarin orange.
For the candied apple, stick a circular scratch-protection sheet onto a sponge ball, insert a bamboo skewer as the handle, then cover it from above with red cellophane and secure it.
For the grapes, skewer several small circular styrofoam balls onto a bamboo skewer, wrap them with transparent chiyogami (decorative paper), and use rubber bands to secure the seams between the styrofoam pieces.
For the mandarin orange, use a ping-pong ball and follow the same steps as for the grapes.
They look so cute that when displayed, kids might want to eat the real thing!
uchiwa (Japanese hand fan)
Let’s make uchiwa fans as summer festival decorations—perfect for the hot season! Cut construction paper into the shape of a fan, then draw your favorite pictures or words, or add stickers to easily create fan decorations.
It’s also a great idea to use real uchiwa as decor.
If you put up fans with a festive design or ones featuring characters popular with kids, it will boost the lively atmosphere.
You can also draw those popular designs on your handmade fans.
They’re easy to use not only on walls but for decorating any food stall, so give it a try!
[Origami] Happi coat
Happi coats are often worn as festival costumes.
Many of them have the character for “festival” (祭) on the back, making them perfect attire for summer festivals.
How about folding a happi out of origami and using it as a decoration? The commonly seen red and blue happi are great, and using Japanese-patterned origami to create a design with a stronger traditional feel is also recommended.
You can make lots of them to stick on walls, or combine them with drawings of people or animals so it looks like they’re wearing the happi—there are many ways to use them.
Make plenty to help create a lively, fun summer festival atmosphere!
lantern decorations
Chochin lanterns are essential decorations for lively scenes like festivals.
Let’s recreate those lanterns with construction paper, bringing out the round shape to make them look festive and cute.
First, cut slits into a sheet of construction paper, attach it to another sheet that will serve as the core, and then roll it into a tube.
The key when overlapping is to arch the outer layer; this creates a rounded look as if the framework has expanded.
The overall impression will also change depending on which color you use for the base and what kind of decorations you add.
Goldfish hanging ornaments
Why not create a cool and festive atmosphere with a cute hanging goldfish decoration? You can make the goldfish in any way you like: fold them from origami paper, cut goldfish shapes out of construction paper, or craft them with chirimen crepe fabric.
A hanging decoration with just goldfish is lovely, but you can also make a basket to hold the goldfish and hang it, or combine them with origami water plants and various round or square ornaments.
Putting these together will make your hanging decoration even more vibrant and fun.
windsock
The “streamers,” a Tanabata decoration classic, are bright and eye-catching, so they’re also great for festival décor.
Here’s a cute idea featuring flower pom-poms.
First, make a streamer by cutting slits into two colors of tissue paper, then attach it to a short length of a toilet paper roll.
For the flower pom-poms, layer two colors of tissue paper that have been accordion-folded, tie them at the center, and gently separate the layers one by one.
Connect the flowers to the streamer, add a string for hanging, and you’re done!
yo-yo
Yo-yo fishing is a classic summer festival game that kids—and adults—can enjoy.
Let’s make decorations inspired by the yo-yos you can get from those stalls! Cut construction paper into yo-yo shapes, then decorate them with stickers or by coloring them in.
Once your yo-yos are ready, try sticking them on the wall or displaying them around the yo-yo fishing booth.
Another great idea is to use unfilled water-balloon yo-yos directly as decorations.
Since yo-yos are so colorful, they’ll instantly brighten up your summer festival venue!