Non-food attractions for school festivals! A collection of hands-on ideas that will get everyone excited
Are you struggling to decide what to do for your school festival booth—other than food? Let’s energize the venue with unique ideas that are a bit different from the usual food stalls! From hands-on attractions like those at amusement parks, to photo spots, to performances your whole class can take on together, this article is packed with ideas that will win over your visitors.
We’ll also share helpful tips from preparation through day-of operations, so use this as a guide to create a booth that’s uniquely yours.
- Stand Out at the School Festival! A Collection of Unusual Ideas You Can Do at School and in the Classroom
- [For High School Students] A roundup of recommended attractions for the school festival
- Cultural Festival: Ranking of Popular Booth Ideas
- [Middle School] Cultural Festival Attractions: A roundup of popular exhibits, games, and stage performances
- Stage and Booth Events for the School Culture Festival! A Collection of Ideas to Get Everyone Excited
- Turn your culture festival classroom into a theme park! A collection of handmade mini-game ideas
- Attraction Ideas for a School Festival That Only High Schoolers Can Create?!
- Ideas for class projects at the school festival: A roundup of popular attractions
- [For Elementary Schools] Recommended Exhibits and Recreational Activities for a Cultural Festival
- [By Genre] Cultural Festival / School Festival Booth Catalog [2026]
- Easy and no cooking required! A collection of menu ideas to liven up your school festival food stall
- [Cultural Festival / School Festival Theme] Carefully Selected High-Impact Recommended Phrases!
- A catalog of recommended festival booths for school culture festivals, with ideas that will shine on social media.
Exhibition (1–10)
The world of colorful umbrella art
Decorations that amaze visitors! Here are ideas for a world of colorful umbrella art.
For those looking for decoration ideas using umbrellas, we recommend these unique and beautiful umbrella artworks.
How about decorating courtyards or entrances with colorful vinyl umbrellas? During the day, sunlight will cast vibrant shadows on the ground.
They also stand out beautifully against the evening sky, creating a memorable scene.
When hanging umbrellas at a height, be sure to incorporate them with safety in mind.
Exhibits (11–20)
stop-motion animation
Let’s entertain with edits like those in anime and games! Here are some stop-motion animation ideas.
Stop-motion, also known as a stop-motion video, refers to a technique where you create a video by photographing the movement of people or objects one frame at a time.
How about making an animation using stop-motion techniques this time? The work featured in the video reportedly reached over 1,000 total shots.
Try incorporating these ideas while adapting them to your animation’s length and structure.
Giant mosaic
Let’s take on a mural! Here are some ideas for a giant mosaic.
When holding a school cultural festival, many schools set a theme or a main illustration, right? This time, how about expressing your theme or illustration as a giant mosaic using about 500,000 one-centimeter-square pieces of colored paper? All you need are colored paper, glue or double-sided tape, and so on.
Cutting and pasting the paper may seem tedious, but the finished work will make a strong impact and leave a dynamic impression.
Photo spot
A great attraction you can set up anywhere on campus is a photo spot.
Create a place that makes people want to take pictures in front of dazzling decorations or eye-catching objects.
It’s also a good idea to use themes of friendship and romance to help classmates and couples grow closer.
By encouraging people to post their vibrant photos on social media, you’ll make the school festival even more exciting.
Prepare colorful lighting and illustrations to create a popular photo spot! Why not try an attraction that every student in the school can enjoy?
Cardboard art
Cardboard, commonly used for delivering packages, is also excellent as a crafting material thanks to its sturdy structure.
Depending on your approach, it’s possible to create fairly large objects.
You can enjoy a variety of techniques: leveraging its original linear form to bond pieces together or slot them with cuts, or first crushing it to soften it and then assembling it to create curves.
A display featuring multiple large cardboard objects would likely make quite a strong impression.
Showa Retro Exhibition
In recent years, the spotlight on social media has been on “Showa retro.” Showa retro refers to retro items like products and home appliances with designs no longer in use today.
They’re especially popular among younger generations who aren’t familiar with them, calling them “cute” and “refreshingly new.” So how about gathering Showa retro items and holding a Showa Retro Exhibition? Try searching your home or relatives’ houses to find nostalgic pieces.
Another appeal is how photogenic they are—you’ll want to post them on social media.
food sample
How about making our own food samples—like the ones often displayed at restaurant entrances—and exhibiting them as artworks? These days, DIY kits are available, making it easier to create them.
Setting up a hands-on corner where visitors can try making samples themselves would make it even more exciting.
