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Party acts that hype up the crowd: Recommended entertainment and performances for banquets and drinking parties [2026]
Farewell and welcome parties at work, year-end and New Year gatherings, after-parties with friends, and class reunions.
There are quite a lot of banquets and drinking parties, aren’t there?
They’re basically fun, but there’s one time that troubles new hires, young employees, and juniors… yes, the “entertainment segment”!
People often say, “Do something!” or “Can’t you do something funny?” and you end up covering it with an awkward smile, right?
In this article, we’ll introduce lots of recommended ideas for when you can’t dodge party entertainment, including skits and performances everyone can do together.
Be sure to use it as a reference when you’re in a pinch!
Exciting party tricks: Recommended entertainment and performances for banquets and drinking parties [2026] (1–10)
A pen passes through a banknote
If you jab a pen straight through the center of a bill that’s been folded tightly, you’d expect it to leave a hole, right? But in this trick, when you pull the pen out, there’s no hole anywhere—the bill looks just like it did before it was folded.
You fold the bill into thirds and push the pen toward the crease, but there’s a small folding technique involved: the section you pierce is folded into a triangle, creating a neat little pathway for the pen to pass through.
That’s the secret behind the trick.
Umaibō Sommelier
Saying “I’m a sommelier” sounds cool, right? But this sommelier is a Umaibo sommelier—the kind who guesses the flavors of those Japanese snack sticks.
Just eating them as-is would be boring, though, so let’s make it a challenge: put on a blindfold and a nose clip, take one bite of a Umaibo, and guess the flavor.
It might seem easy, but once your eyes and nose are blocked, your sense of taste becomes surprisingly unreliable.
dance
If you’re putting on a performance with a decent-sized group, I recommend a dance! You might feel embarrassed about dancing in front of people, or some might not be confident dancers, but if you have enough participants, it’ll be fine.
The great thing about dance is that it works with any number—small or large groups.
It does take a bit of practice time, but it will definitely become a great memory.
It’s a classic type of performance, but choosing a trendy dance song of the moment will really get everyone excited!
panel gag
How about a kamishibai-style act, like those popularized by comedians Tekken and Bakarhythm? It takes a bit of prep, but when it hits, it has the power to send the whole venue into fits of laughter.
Since it doesn’t require much improvisation, it’s a great option for people who aren’t confident with one-shot gags.
wotagei
Idols are a hugely popular part of Japanese pop culture around the world.
And if you go to an idol concert, you’ll definitely see “wotagei.” Dancers wield colorful glow sticks in both hands and move in the dark—it looks stunning and super cool! It takes solid practice, but performing such impressive wotagei with a group is guaranteed to hype up the crowd.
The keys to looking cool are synchronizing movements with your teammates and focusing on sharp, snappy motions.
Card magic
When it comes to classic party tricks that are handy to have up your sleeve anytime, anywhere, you can’t go wrong with card magic.
All you need is a deck of cards.
Pick tricks from the many passed down by masters to match your skill level and give them a try! There are not only techniques that require practice, but also simple self-working tricks that anyone can do just by following the steps.
Balloon-swallowing magic
Are you familiar with the famous “balloon swallowing” magic trick? You inflate a long, thin balloon and then appear to swallow it.
Since the balloon is very long, it seems impossible to swallow it all normally.
But in fact, this trick is super easy—even kids can do it! Inflate the balloon, and when you tie off the opening, make a tiny hole.
While covering that hole, put the balloon in your mouth.
As you press the balloon with your tongue, let the air out through the hole.
That way, it easily looks as if you’ve swallowed the balloon!
Blind tasting
This is a game where you wear a blindfold and try to guess what you’re eating.
The fun twist is that you also plug your nose, making it a high-difficulty challenge where you have to identify foods based only on texture.
Since you’ll be blindfolded, have someone feed you, and play with a few people for guaranteed lively fun! It’s a game you’ll want to prepare penalties for anyone who guesses wrong so everyone can enjoy it even more.
Oshibori art
If you have terry-cloth oshibori (wet hand towels) at the party venue—or can prepare towels about the same size—why not try oshibori art? Oshibori art involves folding an oshibori like origami to create various shapes.
It’s easy to practice in your spare moments, so it’s great even if you’re short on time.
Like balloon art, if you can whip it up quickly, people will be impressed and say, “Wow!” Give it a try with a bit of practice!
Layered T-shirt
How many layers of ordinary T-shirts—the kind you can buy anywhere—can you put on at once? Why not turn this into a party trick? This challenge is actually in the Guinness World Records.
Some people have worn hundreds of shirts, so you might even break the record at your party.
If that happens, the excitement will more than double! The method is very simple: just put on T-shirts as you normally would, one after another.
Be careful so they don’t bunch up inside as you go.
You’ll start to look more and more muscular, and the person wearing them will get hotter and hotter.
To aim for the Guinness number, make sure you have plenty of T-shirts ready.