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!
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Party tricks that liven things up. Recommended entertainment and performances for banquets and drinking parties [2026] (111–120)
Spinning Glasses Long-Straw Speed-Drinking Battle
It’s a party game that uses a curly, spiral straw shaped like a pair of glasses.
Players use this extra-long straw to sip their drink, and whoever finishes first wins—simple as that.
Because a long straw takes more effort to draw liquid through, the participants’ desperate expressions and faces turning red from exertion are part of the fun.
And since the straw is shaped like glasses, using a colored drink lets you enjoy watching the “glasses” gradually take on the color as you sip.
A one-shot gag with a hat
Speaking of hat tricks, Ryuhei Ueshima from Dachou Club made the “Kururinpa” famous! In fact, there are lots of one-shot tricks you can do with a hat besides the Kururinpa.
For example, putting on and taking off a hat without using your hands, rolling it from your hand up your arm and onto your head, or adding throws to create an advanced variation of the Kururinpa.
For these kinds of tricks, it’s best to choose a hat with a brim that goes all the way around and is somewhat stiff.
Hats are easy to carry and don’t take up much space, so give it a try—practice and have fun!
funny face
If you really master funny faces, they can become a proper performance.
A lot of them use your hands to make your face look funny, but some require a bit of facial flexibility, and others rely on skillful expressions.
So if you practice regularly and have a few ready, when someone suddenly asks, “Got anything funny?” you won’t have to dodge it with a laugh—you can actually deliver, make everyone happy, and liven up the party.
You could even get the audience involved and turn it into a funny-face contest, which would probably be a hit.
Please feel free to use this as a reference.
Loach Scooping Dance
The “Dojo-sukui Dance,” performed to the folk song “Yasugi-bushi” from Yasugi City in Shimane Prefecture, features movements like scooping up loaches and a low, fairly strenuous posture with hip motions that are sure to make you laugh.
The costume adds even more humor: a kasuri jacket with shorts, a waist cord, a tenugui with a mame-shibori pattern on the head, and a 5-yen coin attached to the nose.
Just the look alone can make you chuckle.
There are two styles—the men’s dance and the women’s dance—and each has its own distinct movements.
How about giving it a try without feeling shy, whether you’re a man or a woman?
Pizza manTsuntsuku-tsun Expo
If you’re looking for a show with impact, “Pizzaman” is a great pick.
“Pizzaman” is a comedy bit performed by the duo Tsuntsukutsun Expo.
It features a character with a pizza on their head singing about pizza.
The high-energy vibe is what makes it so funny.
By the way, the song used is titled “pizzaman,” with lyrics written by Tsuntsukutsun Expo.
How about starting by memorizing the lyrics?
Cup Vanish Magic
It’s a magic trick where a cup that was supposedly wrapped in newspaper disappears.
You use the newspaper to cleverly create a blind spot and hide the cup there.
It may sound simple when explained in words, but it takes a bit of practice to make sure your audience doesn’t catch on.
group gymnastics
Group gymnastics, which many of us probably did at least once during elementary or junior high school sports festivals.
One big advantage for party entertainment is that you don’t need any props—just your own bodies.
From simple moves that two or three people can perform, like the Cactus, Airplane, or Fan, to a pyramid with around ten people, showcasing a variety of techniques to music will surely get the crowd going! You’ll need a bit of space, but it’s a surefire crowd-pleaser that never slips up.
Bubble Dance
A dance routine that gained attention on social media and was featured on TV shows, becoming widely known.
It originated from the dance performed by the Osaka Prefectural Takaoka High School dance club to Yoko Oginome’s 1985 hit “Dancing Hero.” Since it’s done with a large group, the key isn’t so much technical skill as delivering a perfectly synchronized performance.
Teleportation of a coin
It’s a coin teleportation effect where the coin you were holding in each hand appears to move to one hand right before the spectator’s eyes.
You hold one coin in your right hand and one in your left, cross your hands, and to let them confirm which hand holds which coin, you briefly drop them and pick them up again.
At that moment, when you open one hand, the coin in that hand is securely clipped at the base of the thumb, and you use that hand to pick up the coin dropped from the other hand.
It’s simple, so with a little practice you can do it!
Sit on a whoopee cushion without making a sound
This is a party trick using a whoopee cushion that makes a loud farting sound when you sit on it.
While it’s often used as a prank by placing it on someone’s chair to enjoy their reaction, it’s also great for party entertainment! Set it up by saying, “I’m going to sit on the cushion without making a sound,” then slowly take a seat.
And just as everyone expects, go ahead and make a big noise.
Everyone knows what’s coming, but you can’t help laughing at this gag! When the sound goes off, you could even add, “Oh, that one was a real fart,” to get an extra laugh.
