[For Seniors] Fun Activities That Liven Up Cool Evening Festivals and Summer Festivals
The big summer event, the “Cool Evening Festival.” This time, we’re introducing summer festival-style games and activities that older adults can enjoy together.
We’ve gathered classic booth games that capture the festival atmosphere, such as goldfish scooping, senbonbiki (string lottery), and target shooting.
Of course, these are all easy to run indoors at a facility.
If everyone encourages each other as they join in, it will surely become a wonderful memory.
By tailoring how each person participates, conversations will flow and the whole venue will be filled with smiles.
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Summer Festival Stall-Style Games and Recreations (1–10)
Takoyaki, pop!
When it comes to summer festivals, you can’t miss takoyaki.
You can’t eat this one, but you can enjoy it as a game.
Crumple up newspaper or other paper to make “takoyaki,” gently place it on a ladle, and pop it onto a plate.
It doesn’t require strength and lets you go at your own pace, making it perfect for older adults.
Whether it lands well or not, smiles spread, and natural applause and cheers arise.
Using your hands provides light exercise, warming both heart and body.
Why not spend a lively moment together, feeling the bustle of a summer festival and having a great time with everyone?
Cup Pinball
Enjoy the simple fun of just dropping a ball! Introducing Cup Pinball.
You can make it yourself using cardboard, paper cups, pool noodles, a basket, and a ball! First, cut the cardboard into a large rectangle and make holes slightly smaller than the rims of the paper cups.
Insert paper cups into some of the holes, and attach pool noodles along the long edges of the cardboard base.
Next, prop the base at an angle using a table or chairs, and place a basket where the ball will drop—then you’re done! Adjust the difficulty by changing the number of holes.
Stacking empty cans
The can-stacking contest at summer festivals enriches communication.
Its appeal lies in simple, easy-to-understand rules that anyone can enjoy casually.
Even if the stacked cans collapse, we hope participants will keep trying again and again in a warm, cheerful atmosphere full of smiles.
We also prioritize environmental care by ensuring used cans are recycled to keep the venue clean.
By incorporating eco-friendly practices, it becomes a wonderful opportunity where everyone takes center stage and enjoys connecting with others.
Summer Festival Yatai-Style Games and Recreations (11–20)
Target shooting game
Here’s a simple and fun target-throwing game.
Prepare by sticking adhesive-backed hook-and-loop (Velcro) strips radially onto ping-pong balls.
For the target, attach felt circles of various sizes to construction paper, write point values around them, and make the center worth 100 points to finish.
The balls stick firmly with just a light toss, so it’s safe and enjoyable.
Hitting right where you aim feels refreshing, and high scores naturally spark applause and cheers.
You can encourage each other and try again and again, making for a joyful, smile-filled time.
It’s easy to set up and guaranteed to liven things up, so give it a try!
ring toss
Ring toss is a classic recreation that kids love and even adults will get excited about when they try it again after a while.
Many people have probably played it at summer festivals.
Let’s enjoy a handmade version of ring toss.
Use plastic bottles as the targets, and set point values based on the size of the bottles and the distance from the throwing line.
Decide how many rings each person gets—say, five—and take turns throwing, competing by the total points scored from successful tosses.
You can make it a team competition and battle by total team points, or play individually or in a tournament format to ramp up the excitement!
Watermelon splitting
When you think of summer, one classic tradition is watermelon splitting.
Families with small children might do it, but once you’re an adult, you don’t get many chances, right? If you’re doing it indoors, lay down a blue tarp or something similar, and have everyone watching cheer from around the player to make it fun.
You probably won’t hit it hard enough to crack it open, but enjoying sliced watermelon afterward is part of the fun too.
If using a real watermelon feels like a bit much, how about trying it with a beach ball instead?
Smart ball made with 100-yen shop materials
How about planning the classic festival game “Smart Ball”? It’s very similar to pachinko, which many older adults know well, so playing it brings back nostalgic feelings.
You can buy a ready-made Smart Ball set, but they can be pricey, so it’s better to make one yourself.
For a small version, you can build it with materials from a 100-yen shop.
Attach wooden blocks to the four corners of a perforated board to make the base, and create a launcher at the lower right using a block of wood, a screw, and rubber bands.
Cut a large card case into a strip and install it along the inside top of the base.
Insert dowels wherever you like, hook rubber bands over them, and attach papers with point values.
Finally, add wooden legs to the back so the base is angled—and you’re done.