[Non-food] Cultural festival attractions: from classroom exhibits to stage events
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.
- Unusual attractions you can do in a classroom for a cultural or school festival
- [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
- Ideas for stage events and attractions that will liven up a school festival
- Attraction Ideas for School Festivals That Only High Schoolers Can Pull Off?
- Games that rival street festivals and variety shows!? Crowd-pleasers for school cultural festivals
- 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]
- [Cultural Festival / School Festival Theme] Carefully Selected High-Impact Recommended Phrases!
- Festival booth menu items that can be served without cooking and without using fire
- A catalog of recommended festival booths for school culture festivals, with ideas that will shine on social media.
Attractions (1–10)
coffee cup
For those who want to create an amusement-park-like performance on the school festival stage, a teacup ride is recommended.
You know the famous attraction where you sit on a chair inside a cup and spin around and around.
These original teacups are made from materials like wood and thick cardboard and are moved manually.
You can almost hear lots of people saying, “I’m getting dizzy!” It’s a unique attraction that lets you experience something different from everyday school life.
Try building it in a large area like the schoolyard.
Strikeout
In baseball, the term for a batter being put out by striking out is “strikeout.” As a game, the usual rules involve a target with zones numbered 1 through 9; if the challenger hits all of them within a set number of pitches or within a time limit, they win.
You can ensure smooth progress by pre-setting the distance from the pitching spot to the target based on factors like baseball experience, age, and gender.
Of course, people with experience in baseball or other ball sports have an advantage, but the requirement to complete the targets within the limit creates unexpected pressure, making it a game anyone can enjoy.
maze
When it comes to attractions that can be set up anywhere from classrooms to gymnasiums and schoolyards, mazes are a great choice.
Use thick paper or cardboard to create doors and walls, then play by making your way from the start to the goal.
You can add dead ends or use similar-looking scenes to confuse players, making it a rewarding project to build.
If you’re creating it with a large group like classmates, a giant maze is also recommended.
You can enjoy it as a game by doing time trials or team competitions.
Playing mysterious music and adjusting the lighting can further enhance the maze’s atmosphere.
Attractions (11–20)
maid cafe
Here’s a fun idea if it ever comes to life! Introducing a “Meido” Café—playing on the words “maid” and “afterlife.” This humorous concept is sure to draw attention.
Decorate the classroom with a temple theme and give visitors nicknames styled like posthumous Buddhist names.
For drinks and food, offer a unique service where staff cast a playful spell—“Oishiku nare, nen-nen kyun!”—before serving.
Feel free to use this as inspiration and add your own twist.
Pythagorean device
A great recommendation for classroom displays or class performances is a Rube Goldberg machine.
It’s known from the segment on NHK’s TV program “PythagoraSwitch.” Using everyday items, you build a device and watch a marble or ball travel forward through a chain reaction.
Try coming up with unique mechanisms using tools and belongings from the classroom.
It’s also nice to add music and lighting to set the mood when you trigger the first action.
How about trying a performance that brings your classmates closer together?
Face paint
Face painting, familiar at places like Disney Resorts and USJ! It’s the perfect attraction to make the most of a single day at a school festival.
There are options where you actually paint with a brush, as well as simple sticker-type designs you can just apply.
If you’re doing hand-painted designs, you can rely on the art club or anyone good at drawing.
Why not include school-specific characters, trending characters, or stylish patterns as a way to create fun memories?
fortune-telling
@sundai_kanko Thank you for the request! I’ll upload some scenes from the school festival fortune-telling! I had my fortune told by three fortune-tellers!Sundai College of Tourism and Foreign Languages & BusinessSundaiTourism vocational schoolRailway Vocational SchoolFun schoolVocational school studentTechnical collegeDepartment of Railway ServiceSchool Festival
♬ Sugar Rush Ride – TOMORROW X TOGETHER
I’m interested in fortune-telling, but it takes courage to step into that unique atmosphere, doesn’t it? If there were a fortune-telling room or booth at a school festival, though, it would be easier to go in—and it might even be popular.
There are many types of fortune-telling, but the standard topics are health, suitable careers, and the timing of marriage, right? Since it’s a school festival attraction, it doesn’t have to be accurate.
Focus on making the costumes and your manner of speaking feel authentic! If you want to get more serious, try studying tarot or palm reading.
