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] (51–60)
3 o’clock Heroine: “Common Tropes in Foreign TV Dramas”
3-ji no Heroine, who won “The W: Japan’s No.1 Female Comedian Contest” in 2019.
Why not try reenacting the classic “that always happens” scenes from foreign TV dramas that they posted on YouTube at your next party? Foreign dramas tend to have strong character traits and lots of stereotypical, nod-along moments, so watching people act them out can be pretty funny.
For example: baffling metaphors, characters somehow speaking long lines in perfect unison with two or more people, or someone finishing another person’s sentence—things like that.
If you perform those unmistakable “yep, that happens” moments in an over-the-top, foreign-drama style, it’ll definitely get the crowd going!
Childhood Photo Quiz
As the name suggests, it’s a quiz where you show childhood photos and guess who they are—a game that’s guaranteed to get everyone excited.
As long as you have the photos ready, you can project them on a screen and let everyone join in the guessing.
You can use clues like the person’s features, the era, and even people or backgrounds captured in the photo, making it a deep and fun challenge.
Pocari Dance
The exhilarating “Pocari Dance,” known from commercials and performed with full-body expression, looks super cool.
Many of you may have danced it at school sports days or festivals.
Pocari Sweat’s dance commercials, which began in 2016, have drawn attention every time for their high level of choreography.
In 2018, they attempted a Guinness World Record for “the most people dancing simultaneously for a TV commercial,” and a synchronized dance performed by 3,770 students was officially recognized as a world record.
Show off those razor-sharp moves and you’ll be sure to wow everyone with a side of you they don’t usually see! Plenty of tutorial videos are available, so be sure to check them out for reference.
Thunder
How about trying out a routine inspired by the popular comedy duo Kaminari? Their dialect-inflected punchlines make a strong impact.
If both performers are from the countryside, you might capture a similar nuance and pull it off well.
If you subtly weave in some workplace “relatable” material, people around you will likely relate and get excited.
imitation
Everyone, are you good at doing impressions? There are people who have go-to routines that are funny no matter how many times you see them, right? But not everyone is like that.
Let’s practice so you can have a few sure-fire, signature bits ready for when you’re suddenly put on the spot at a drinking party or a casual get-together! To start, I recommend something simple and well-known, like popular anime characters!
Praise everyone while being pissed off
A party trick you can pull off on the spot when someone says, “Do something!” is “Praising everyone while acting angry.” You sometimes see comedians on variety shows suddenly slip into a character, start talking, and get laughs, right? It’s similar to that: you suddenly seem to lose your temper, then say things like, “You’re always working so hard—amazing!” and fluster the other person by complimenting them.
After a brief moment of surprise, laughter is guaranteed! If you make the compliments more specific, the person will be happy and the atmosphere will warm up.
PERFECT HUMANRADIO FISH
PERFECT HUMAN by RADIO FISH has become a staple performance piece at wedding receptions and party entertainment.
Formed around the comedy duo Oriental Radio, the unit released the song in 2016, and it became a hot topic and a major hit.
It’s also popular as a dance track.
If you suit up sharply and dance coolly, it’s guaranteed to hype up any party performance! Although it’s by a male unit, women dancing in suits look cool and can energize the crowd just as well.
Kanji radical charades (acting out radicals with your body)
Kanji have what are called radicals, right? Things like gyōninben (the “going person” radical), sanzui (the “water” radical), and ōzato (the “large village” radical) are ones many of you can probably picture right away.
This party trick is about expressing those radicals with your body.
Just striking the pose is funny enough to get laughs, and if you have people guess which radical it is, it might be even more fun! Including radicals, it could also be entertaining to team up with two people to form simple kanji.
If no one guesses it, you’ll have to hold the pose the whole time, so you might need some muscle strength!
Thriller
This is a dance performance of Michael Jackson’s classic hit “Thriller.” Since it’s such a well-known song, it’s sure to get the crowd going if you perform it as entertainment! If you’re thinking of something a bit elaborate, why not give it a try? In the music video, Michael Jackson dances with zombies, so it’s a great idea to invite a few people and split into a Michael Jackson role and zombie roles to dance together.
If the zombies’ quality is high, that alone will liven up the atmosphere, so put some thought into the costumes and makeup, too!
Spin the bottle
This is bottle spinning using beer bottles or wine bottles.
Like a baton twirler’s baton, you can spin the bottle around smoothly, or add a snap like in juggling.
At a party, there are usually plenty of alcohol bottles lying around.
If someone asks, “Can you do something fun?” surprise and entertain everyone with bottle spinning.
Just be careful not to drop and break the bottles.
Some practice is essential, but the more you practice, the more people will enjoy it!
