A roundup of street performance ideas to liven up year-end and New Year parties
Are you wondering what to perform for entertainment at your year-end or New Year’s party? The classic acts are great, but how about switching things up and trying a street performance? Street performance actually has tons of elements that can really liven up a party! In this article, we’ve gathered a wide variety of street performance ideas you can choose from to match the venue’s vibe and your own strengths.
Many of these performances do require practice, but with solid preparation and a focus on safety, you’re sure to wow everyone at your year-end or New Year’s party!
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Ideas for Street Performances That Liven Up Year-End and New-Year Parties (31–40)
Live painting
Painting is generally treated as a field of art, but by creating it live, in real time, it has recently been in the spotlight as a performance known as live painting.
The video features spray art, but you could also energize the crowd by doing caricatures, capture the atmosphere of a year-end party with a landscape-style piece, or take requests—feel free to adapt based on your skills and strengths.
Rap battle
Rap, where you rhyme and perform each other’s verses to hype up the audience, could be a great way to speak up about workplace frustrations and the overall vibe—especially by taking advantage of the anything-goes atmosphere of year-end and New Year parties.
While many rap battles traditionally weave disses at the opponent into the lyrics, why not prepare carefully—rhyme, rhythm, bars—and, together with your partner, hype the room by venting about what didn’t go well this year and mixing in your resolutions for the next?
bucket drum
A drum solo performance where anything goes—not just a regular drum kit, but buckets, the ground, the floor, whatever’s around.
You can enjoy a variety of sounds you can’t get from a standard drum set, instantly switch what you’re hitting, or suddenly strike random objects nearby.
If you’re a drummer, give it a try.
One-person multitrack live performance
This is a performance where music—usually imagined as layering many instruments with a large group—is built up by a single person.
Using a device called a looper, you gradually stack sounds starting from a short rhythmic phrase.
Beginning with this short phrase is the most important part; making the audience wonder whether it will become music leads to the ultimate surprise.
Even if it sounds like a simple, casual fragment, it’s interesting that it can turn out to be an indispensable element of the finished piece.
Eat a balloon
The “balloon eating” magic trick that’s popular at magic bars and street performances.
It’s a great performance for those who want to wow everyone at year-end or New Year parties! Prepare a balloon for balloon art and a toothpick—both are available at 100-yen shops or supermarkets.
First, use the toothpick to make a hole near the mouth of the balloon.
That’s the whole secret! Tie the balloon above the punctured spot, and while making it look like you’re eating the balloon, you press and collapse it as you go.
It’s a trick worth knowing, so give it a try!
Ideas for Crowd-Pleasing Street Performances at Year-End and New Year Parties (41–50)
two-person robe (Nininbaori): a comedic act where two people share one kimono-like garment, with the rear person acting as the arms for the front person
Ninin-baori is a traditional act enjoyed at parties and banquets in Japan.
The person in front wears a cloth over their shoulders, while the person behind acts as the “hands,” controlling the movements.
In scenes where they try to make the front person drink or eat, the awkward hand movements are sure to get laughs.
Adding ad-lib touches—like missing the mouth or moving exaggeratedly—will liven things up even more.
The audience can join in by calling out, offering tips on the movements, and sharing the fun, creating a stronger sense of togetherness.
It’s a perfect idea for settings with a distinctly Japanese atmosphere.
Hige Dance
For those who say they can’t dance in public because they have no sense of rhythm, I recommend the classic “Hige Dance.” You don’t need to memorize any difficult or complicated choreography at all.
Plus, it can be done with just one or two people, so it seems easy to try.
It might also be fun to invite a guest on as a surprise in the middle of the bit to get some laughs.