![Party acts that hype up the crowd: Recommended entertainment and performances for banquets and drinking parties [2026]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/nheY_cFaeCw/maxresdefault.webp)
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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- [Hilarious] One-Liner Gags That Kill at Parties and Events
- Entertainment ideas for year-end and New Year parties: games everyone can enjoy together
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- [Easy] A Collection of Party Dances to Liven Up Year-End and New Year Parties
- [Simple Impressions] Fun Classic Bits Even Beginners Can Do [2026]
- No More Worries!! A Catalog of Crowd-Pleasing Party Tricks
- Year-end/New Year party crowd-pleasing performance dance [2026]
- [Hilarious] Rhythm Gags That Kill at Parties and Performances
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
