A great way to get to know each other! Entertainment and performances to liven up a welcome party
Entertainment and performances are essential for welcome parties.
Sometimes the hosts perform, and sometimes the newcomers do—both patterns exist.
Either way, it’s nerve-wracking, and choosing what to do can be tough.
In this article, we’ll introduce performances recommended for people in any position.
We’ve picked a wide range: activities that help everyone open up, ideas that let others get to know you, and funny bits.
However, be sure to avoid acts that are too long and bore participants, or anything vulgar!
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A great chance to get to know each other! Entertaining activities and performances to liven up a welcome party (21–30)
Drawing Telephone Game
A drawing telephone game where you pass along the given prompt through pictures! It doesn’t just test how good you are at drawing; you also need the imagination to guess the prompt from a picture and the skill to course-correct a message that’s going off track with your own drawing.
It’s great fun for people who like drawing, but pure agony for those who don’t! Precisely because you don’t yet know each other’s strengths, it’s perfect for a welcome party—everyone can get excited as you’re surprised by unexpected talents and laugh out loud at quirky artistic sensibilities.
The choice of prompts matters too! Aim for that sweet spot that you can imagine but is hard to draw—the closer you get to that edge, the more fun it becomes!
wotagei
It originally started as a dance where fans cheered on idols and voice actors with glow sticks, but lately it’s become known to the general public as a performance art to watch.
Issey Takahashi even showed it in a commercial.
The glow sticks are so flashy that they seem perfect for welcome parties and the like, don’t they?
Parody Commercial Movie
This is a video that recreates a popular TV commercial.
You can aim for a more faithful reproduction, or slip in some small jokes—it’s a simple act with room to play.
It might be fun to incorporate inside jokes or relatable moments that only your group would understand.
ADR movie
How about making a dubbed movie using popular films or animations? If dubbing is difficult, subtitles alone can be plenty entertaining.
Choosing the right work is important, so pick something as widely known as possible.
Disney films or Star Wars sound like good options! Layering company or school rules and episodes over serious scenes could make it really funny.
The Perfect Match Game
This Perfect Match game is played by setting a number and taking turns asking questions where the answer is a number, aiming to hit that number exactly.
It’s a game that really requires communication, so at events like welcome parties where people are meeting for the first time, your conversational skills might be put to the test! Let’s nail the exact number and get the excitement going!
Cheerleading
Have you heard of the “Cheerimans,” formed from Team B of Waseda University’s cheerleading squad? As the name suggests, it’s a team of suit-wearing salarymen performing cheer routines.
In fact, they’re so skilled they’ve even appeared on overseas audition shows.
How about practicing by imitating their performances and showcasing it at a welcome party? Even if big stunts are tough, sharp dance moves and synchronized routines can surprise and move the audience.
You might even inspire people to say, “I want to join next year’s welcome party too!”
Russian roulette
Is the dud a super-spicy chili pepper? Let’s bond over Russian roulette! Here’s a simple idea using the chocolate eggs you can find in the snack aisles of supermarkets and convenience stores.
Split the chocolate eggs in half, place marshmallows or gummies inside, and stick them back together.
Using the bottom of a warmed pot makes it easy to seal them.
Peanut butter or prunes can be fun fillings, too.
For the “losers,” add pickled plum—and for the ultimate dud, a fiery hot chili pepper! Finally, place the chocolate eggs into an empty egg carton and you’re done.
No matter what you get, it’s sure to liven things up—perfect as a welcome-party activity.
Ranking Battle
How about trying “Kakuzuke Check,” the TV program that’s become a New Year’s favorite, as entertainment for your welcome party? The rules are simple: participants choose between a luxury item and a cheap one using their sense of taste or smell, and they take on the challenge while blindfolded.
Prepare two rooms, A and B; have people enter the room that corresponds to their chosen answer, and once everyone has chosen, reveal the correct answers.
It’s a surefire way to get both participants and spectators excited.
Inviting the newcomers themselves to join in should also help deepen interaction.
Shiritori self-introduction
This is a self-introduction game that uses shiritori rules—perfect when there are many people meeting for the first time.
The example is a group dating scenario, but it would also liven up welcome parties at companies, classes, or club activities.
If you set the mood well, it will serve as an effective icebreaker.
Sazae-san
It looks like a performance at a kindergarten, and the kids are cracking up.
I think even adults would find it surreal and funny.
In the end, someone like a Ranger squad member even shows up, and I have no idea what’s going on anymore.
But somehow it’s amusing, and above all, the kids’ laughter is incredible.
The person who came up with it is wonderful, too.
It even made me want to try it myself.