History Main / SchoolFestival

** In the R [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]], Rei's school organizes one and Rei is slated to sing in there. Too bad the MonsterOfTheWeek crashes it. In the [[Manga/SailorMoon manga]], this is played differently as [[spoiler: Kooan of the Ayakashi sisters infiltrates it as a student and fortune teller, then attempts to recruit students for Black Moon and gets them killed. She dies in her duel with Moon, but Rei are kidnapped by Rubeus.]]

* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' had a cafe for one festival, and a small shop selling stuffed animals for a different school festival. Each year, the same students made the same suggestions at first, one suggesting "A haunted house", another "A cafe", with [[CheerfulChild Chiyo]] noticing this. It also subverted the normal ''obakeyashki''/''kissaten'' pattern, where one year [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Osaka]] suggested an ''obakeyashki kissaten'', or "haunted cafe"; when that didn't fly, she suggested a "[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot haunted cute animal cafe]]" - "[[NightmareFuelStationAttendant It's full of adorable dogs and cats... and they're all dead.]]" They ended up taking the cute stuffed animal theme of the first and combining ''it'' with a cafe.

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* There is one in ''Manga/NodameCantabile'', which leads to a very ... creative interpretation of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", in which Nodame plays the lead part on a melodica--while wearing a bulky mongoose costume.

* In ''Manga/SchoolRumble'' the students take the culture festival ''very'' seriously. When they can't choose between hosting a cafe and putting on a play, there's only one way to decide--WITH GUNS! And that's only the ''start'' of the culture festival arc. It ends with Eri spraining her ankle before she can compete in the relay, and then Harima promising to win the race for her. [[ShipTease Then they dance together at the bonfire]].

* Touno Junna's class in ''VisualNovel/WWish'' runs an ''obakeyashiki''.

* The original ''Manga/YuGiOh'' manga featured a School Festival story that culminated in Yami Yugi killing a school bully with a test tube full of nitroglycerin. To elaborate: Yugi's class had set up a carnival booth for the school but some {{Jerkass}} upper classmen demanded the space for their okonomiyaki stand and wrecked the booth and put their massive grill in it's place. Yami then shows up and challenges the head jerkass to air hockey on their grill using a puck of ice with the tube of nitroglecrin in it... and using his oppnents tendency to hit really big against him by splitting the puck, causing it to break and explode next time the jerkass hit it.

-->'''[[ComicBook/TheInhumans Luna]]''': Oooh. Sports fest. Like in anime.

* In ''Fanfic/BetweenMyBrotherAndMeMorsOmnibus'', Carroll City's You Show Duel School is holding a school festival to celebrate how the school is now a year old combined with a MasqueradeBall as the various students of the school are dressed up in costumes and masks.

* ''Series/LondonsBurning'': Blue Watch are called out to a British example, which mostly takes place on the school's playing fields, after someone [[TooDumbToLive tries to refuel a portable generator without turning it off]] and sets fire to a marquee. [[ManOnFire And himself.]]
* ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' had this plot at least 2 times. "Falling For Autumn" involves the kids preparing for the school's Fall Festival while "Any Way You Slice It" has them try to decide what to make for their booth at the school's International Festival, ultimately opting to showcase bread.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'': At the start of the game, the previous organizer of the school festival decided to leave Balamb Garden, and he won't become a SeeD or even graduate. Selphie decides to take over, but is also struggling to find volunteers. At the very least, she was able to do a concert during the events of Disc 2.
* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'':
** ''VideoGame/Persona2'''': Innocent Sin'' briefly mentions that the school festival is just around the corner, but it gets cancelled when the plot starts. Since the game [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness doesn't have a calendar system]], it's one of the few pieces of evidence that the game takes place over the course of almost a year: these festivals take place in late October/early November, and the game ends in August, [[spoiler:on the day of the Grand Cross]].
** In ''VideoGame/Persona3'', nearly a whole week (in game time) is spent setting up the plot for the Culture Festival... which is then rained out by one of the largest typhoons in years. This was a disappointment for [[MostGamersAreMale a small segment of the fanbase]], who ''[[{{Fanservice}} really]]'' [[{{Fanservice}} wanted to see Yukari in that]] [[{{Meido}} maid costume]][[note]]Actually, you ''can'' see her in the ''FES'' remake. Check the security camera in the briefing room...[[/note]]. Several [=NPCs=] also moan their great disappointment out loud, and the Main Character is asked if he's disappointed for the same reason.
** ''VideoGame/Persona4'' has a festival as well. Since the game is set in a sleepy rural town, the festival is fairly short and mundane, and all it really does is give you brownie points with some of your social link friends. As a side note: Don't mention "Group Date Cafe" or "Beauty Contest" to any of your party members (the guys had to cross-dress and the girls had to wear swimsuits in front of the whole school competing with the bullies).
** ''VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth'' makes things up for the ''Persona 3'' cast by bringing them, alongside the ''Persona 4'' cast, into an alternate dimension which consists entirely of a school festival. Except they're trapped in the seemingly unending festival, and some of the attractions are labyrinths filled with deadly Shadows.
** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' has a big festival, but most of your team is tense throughout, since the school is under major scrutiny and nobody wants to slip and accidentally out themselves as the infamous Phantom Thieves; in fact, one of the headline events is detective Goro Akechi giving a talk [[spoiler:and revealing that he knows what your team's been up to, though he keeps your names secret]]. That said, there are still a couple lighthearted moments as well, namely going to a takoyaki cafe where the only item still available is a "Russian Takoyaki" with one of the takoyakis being colored bright red, and saving a teammate from having to answer a potentially incriminating question onstage by yelling something embarrassing in front of the entire student body like "I've always loved you!" or "Blonde hair is dumb!"
* A staple event of the ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' series.
* Setting up the school festival plays a major role in Yukiko and Takahisa's stories in ''VisualNovel/ElevenEyes -Resona Forma-''. Ema's class puts on a cat ears MaidCafe (even the boys dress up as maids), and Yukiko has the Modern Society Studies Club create a megaplex. Though in both cases, the festival is secondary to other issues that crop up.
* Happens multiple times in ''VideoGame/ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlRevis'', which takes place over a three year period. Happens once in the [[VideoGame/ManaKhemia2FallOfAlchemy sequel]], which lasts only one year in universe.
* When [[spoiler: the school is turned into a dungeon]] in ''VideoGame/FortuneSummoners'' Arche asks if it's dungeon sports day.

* Chapter 3 in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky The Legend of Heroes: Trails in The Sky FC]]'' has you take part in one. There is of course [[GameGourmet food stands and a cafe]], and you take part in a play. One NPC lampshades the lack of a haunted house, wondering if it's too cliche.
* Similarly, the original ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' game has an ending chapter involving your main characters, known as Class VII, participating in a massive school festival for Thors Military Academy and putting on a big concert show... which is almost canceled due to the latest weirdness emanating from the [[EldritchLocation Old Schoolhouse]], until your party takes care of it.

* In ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'', Monika decides to hold a poetry showcase during the cultural festival, and you can either help Yuri or Natsuki prepare for it. Unfortunately, we never get to see the festival proper, because [[spoiler:Sayori hangs herself on the morning of the festival, causing the game to glitch and reset]].
* Serves as the PointOfNoReturn in ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'', that determines which of the girls' [[CuttingOffTheBranches routes]] Hisao is on. Depending on who he ends up pursuing from the choices made in the weeks leading up the the festival, he experiences a different side of it, such as [[MadArtist Rin's]] mural or winning a stuffed cat for [[StudentCouncilPresident Shizune]] from a game. He might even skip out on it to spend time with [[ShrinkingViolet Hanako]], or, if you failed to meet the requirements for any of the girls, [[NonStandardGameOver Kenji.]]
* The prologue of ''VisualNovel/StarswirlAcademy'' ends with a "Stargazing Festival," where all the students gather on the school lawn and turn off all the lights on campus to gaze up at the stars on the first night of school. Depending on your choices, PlayerCharacter Tom can attend with [[ChildhoodFriends Tai]], go alone and meet someone else, stay alone through the festival, or skip it altogether.
* In ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', during the Talent Development plan minigame, a board game in which you play as one of the characters from the three games throughout their time at Hope's Peak, your character will take part in the sports and culture festivals. Both are scripted events in which you make one of three choices, each of which shows a different event and gives you a different kind of Talent Fragment (which you use to buy and upgrade skills).

* Happens ''several'' times in ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura''.

* In ''Manga/{{Change 123}}'', some events which are important for the main plot actually took place at School Festivals - so far at least two of them.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': the first season has the annual School Festival as a whole episode, complete with a horror house and StudentCouncilPresident Milly's attempt at making the world's largest pizza. ''R2'' has one in honor of classmate/high-ranking noble Suzaku's return. Lelouch, as Student Council Vice President, takes his job as festival organizer seriously, even though he's also the rebel leader Zero. Both festivals have a good deal of HilarityEnsues and {{Fanservice}}, and endings that make them both major [[WhamEpisode Wham Episodes]].
** Worth noting - this isn't a Japanese school. It's a Britannian school in Japan, which has been taken over by TheEmpire. And yet, they still have school festivals.

* ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure'' had a good portion of its story dealing with this and is basically the culmination of the whole Fashion Club storyline as Erika's dream is realized.
* Having an art school setting, ''Manga/HidamariSketch'''s "cultural festival" is really ''cultural''-- students (if not [[strike:cough [[CosplayOtakuGirl Yoshinoya]] cough]] teachers) have to put on display their art pieces and {{school play}}s. This school festival arc was about Yuno's quest for a topic for the aforementioned art piece.

* A sort-of plot point in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'''s SpinOff manga ''`KOF:KYO''. Athena is asked to perform at school and recruits Kensou, Kyo, and Kyo's girlfriend Yuki to have a band... as well as ''Iori Yagami'', of all people. [[spoiler: And then Goenitz crashes the festival, destroys the stage, shows off how he defeated and kidnapped Iori, and challenges Kyo.]]

* Volumes 5 and 17 of ''Manga/KomiCantCommunicate'' both focus on cultural festivals, with Komi's class running a MaidCafe in their first year, and performing a pair of [[SchoolPlay plays]] in their second. The second year's festival also marks the point where [[spoiler: Komi and Manbagi both realise the other also has feelings for Tadano, as Komi ends one of the plays with a genuine LoveConfession.]] Meanwhile, Tadano ends up getting DraggedIntoDrag two years in a row.

** In UA's Sports Festival, the main characters of Class 1-A first enter the spotlight. On top of taking place after an attack on the school--basically as a "screw you" to villains of the world--it highlights the students' Quirks and gets the kids sponsorship offers from established hero offices.

* ''VideoGame/Persona2'''': Innocent Sin'' briefly mentions that the school festival is just around the corner, but it gets cancelled when the plot starts. Since the game [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness doesn't have a calendar system]], it's one of the few pieces of evidence that the game takes place over the course of almost a year: these festivals take place in late October/early November, and the game ends in August, [[spoiler:on the day of the Grand Cross]].

* In ''VisualNovel/PrincessEvangile''', the school festival becomes a plot point early in the main heroine route locks as well as Mitsuki's fandisc route.

* ''Manga/LuckyStar'''s anime adaptation has its final episode end at the cultural festival. Aside from their own classes' things, all the main characters put together a cheerleading routine for the festival's opening ceremony, which is the exact same one that's [[DancingTheme shown in the anime's opening theme]]. Konata gets her class to do fortune-telling and dresses up in Yuki Nagato's witch outfit from ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', and Yutaka's class does a Creator/TakarazukaRevue-themed cafe, which gives [[YuriFan Hiyori]] an excuse to dress Minami and Yutaka up as a prince and a princess, respectively.

* ''Manga/LuckyStar'' had its final episode end at the cultural festival. Aside from their own classes things, all the main characters ended up doing a cheerleading dance that would have been [[DancingTheme suspiciously familiar to anybody who had been watching the anime...]] By the way, at that episode Konata got her class to do fortune-telling (see ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' example, above) and in Yutaka's class, [[YuriFan Hiyori]] used it as an opportunity to get [[{{Bifauxnen}} Minami]] to wear something masculine...

** ''VideoGame/Persona4'' has a festival as well. Since the game is set in a sleepy rural town, the festival is fairly short and mundane, and all it really does is give you brownie points with some of your social link friends. As a side note: Don't mention "Group Date Cafe" or "Beauty Contest" to any of your party members (the guys had to cross-dress and the girls had to wear swimsuits in front of the whole school).

* ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' includes two festivals, one where the class has a riceball stand (with [[DudeLooksLikeALady Yuki in a dress]] as a sideshow attraction) and the next year when they stage a ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'' play. [[FracturedFairyTale Sorta]].

* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'''s final two episodes involve a school festival. Of course, being [[ElaborateUniversityHigh Ouran]], the festival is over the top. The typical 'bread eating race' is turned into a bread dining event, the bean bags are made by a famous designer, and the cavalry race is scrapped since they think that it would require actual horses.
** The manga has another festival where the goal is to cook curry. Each stop requires a test after which the participants can choose an ingredient from a selection of items. The tasks range from the [[AlwaysIdenticalTwins Hikaru-Kaoru-Guessing Game]] over the Black Magic Club's quiz on Curses and their origins to Kyouya's sadistic crossword puzzle.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''

* ''Manga/{{Karin}}'''s school has one, the first one SecretKeeper Kenta's ever been to. Unfortunately, Karin's {{JerkAss}} of a grandma Elda shows up to make trouble.
* ''Manga/KimiToBoku'' has one. [[InTouchWithHisFeminineSide Shun]] and Chizuru both end up dressed as ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood''. The outfit has become [[IconicOutfit popular]] for Shun in fanworks despite only wearing it once. During the haunted house the other boys [[ShoutOut dress as]] ''Manga/GeGeGeNoKitaro'' characters. Masaki's class also does a SchoolPlay of ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'' during the episode.

* ''Manga/AliceAcademy'' had a festival episode where Mikan's Special Abilities class had an Arabian themed maze game.The entering people had to go through stages in order to win, such as to not laugh at a boy who has an Alice that makes everything funny. Also a particularly humorous scene in which Natsume faked an injury to trick Mikan,which worked. It also had a major plot point where Ruka's crush on Mikan is revealed at the ending dance as Natsume looks on peeved. But the person to dance with Mikan in the couple's dance ends up being Hotaru!

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' takes the trope and runs with it. A [[ElaborateUniversityHigh city-sized school]] having a festival somewhere in size and scope between Disneyland and Mardi Gras, complete with airship rides, a [[TournamentArc fighting tournament]], holographic amusements, a parade with everything from costumes to HumongousMecha, beauty contests, concerts, plays, a 1:1 scale replica of l'arc de triomphe, a fleet of zeppelins with large [=TVs=] on the side and the usual student-run cafes and haunted houses. Negi's class does a haunted house of their own, which is helped by the fact that one of their classmates just happens to be a ghost. It also happens to be one of the largest arcs in the series, with half the manga by the time it concluded either leading up to or taking place during it. The whole affair is capped off with a small war.

* In ''VisualNovel/NewDanganRonpaV3'', during the Talent Development plan minigame, a board game in which you play as one of the characters from the three games throughout their time at Hope's Peak, your character will take part in the sports and culture festivals. Both are scripted events in which you make one of three choices, each of which shows a different event and gives you a different kind of Talent Fragment (which you use to buy and upgrade skills).

* ''LightNovel/MariaSamaGaMiteru'':

* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'': Holliday College puts on a school festival in which the various clubs each put on something to show to the community, it seems to be a way to try an pull in prospective new students and the centerpiece is the band performances.

* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona'':

* ''Manga/ShokugekiNoSoma'' has an entire arc devoted to Tootsuki Culinary Academy's school festival. The manga being what it is, the festival is a week-long culinary bonanza with over half a million attendants. The students run everything from hot-dog carts to fine dining restaurants out of school facilities and compare sales figures every night to try to figure out who is the best. Failing to turn a profit is grounds for expulsion.

* ''VisualNovel/KoihimeMusou'''s HighSchoolAU BonusEpisode trilogy wraps up with an episode set at St. Francesca's school festival. The main characters do a cafe dressed in Shuri's outfit from the main series, and every other class gets to put on a show.