The school festival is a staple of anime and is right up there with the beach episode. It can appear as either a sports festival or a cultural festival, but in either case, anime school students go all out for the occasion. Some anime use the school festival as a chance to show a lighter side of its characters, whereas others use the formula to deepen the lore of their world.
Even rarer are anime that use the school festival for dramatic plot points and push fan-favorite characters into unexpected situations. Regardless of the reason, the rocking musical performances, maid cafés, campfires, fireworks, and even the assortment of one-of-a-kind sweets ensure that anime school festivals are a blast.
10 The Babyls School Festival Is Where Everything Comes To A Head (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)
In Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, the school festival is a high-stakes competition. The battler that performs the best will receive an increase in demon rank, and a heated tournament ensues. After hilarious events such as Iruma eating the entire stock of the yakisoba battler and getting to have fun with the families of Asmodeus and Clara, a deadly threat introduces action to the festival. The traitorous Kiriwo plots to use Iruma's own fireworks to destroy the school. The tension will keep visitors on the edge of their seats.
9 Haruhi Suzumiya Performs A Musical Number For The Ages (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
Haruhi Suzumiya is a student famous for her unpredictable antics, so visitors attending the North High school festival should expect the unexpected. That might come in the form of a student-made time sci-fi movie staring students such as the innocent Mikuru. But it could also include more spontaneous entertainment such as Haruhi herself stepping up to replace a band member in bunny-girl clad outfit and all, singing her legendary rendition of "God Knows." When it comes to a school festival involving Haruhi Suzumiya, being entertained is a given.
8 U.A. Can Throw A Superhero Party Like Few Other Anime Schools (My Hero Academia)
Within the world of My Hero Academia, there is a general sense of unease caused by villains. Luckily, there is no better way to relieve that stress than by attending the U.A. High school festival with productions created by the famous class 1-A.
Side characters like Mina and Kyoka get some much-needed spotlight with their musical talents, the sympathetic Gentle Criminal and La Brava provide comic relief and a little bit of tension, and it all culminates in a musical performance that makes excellent use of class 1-A's quirks.
7 Ashford Academy Lets Knightmare Frames Find Their True Purpose (Code Geass)
Much of Code Geass is a tense political thriller, but the school festival is a time when the cast can let their collective hair down and enjoy the festivities. Whether that involves cosplay, a haunted house, getting to meet Britannian royalty in disguise, or even seeing a formidable Knightmare Frame being used to spin the dough of the world's largest pizza. It's an event that brings together people of all kinds. Ashford Academy's school festival is truly a time to meet new people, enjoy the sights, and eat one-of-a-kind foods.
6 The Eizouken Film Club Makes The Most Of Their School Festival Opportunity (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!)
There are few schools with as many creative students as the one attended by Asakusa, Kanamori, and Mizusaki. Filled with colorful crowds and parades of fun costumes, it's a vibrant and joyous place to be. Beyond aesthetics, it's also the only place where visitors can watch student-created productions such as an original anime screening or get to meet famous student models like Mizusaki Tsubame herself. Getting to explore the unique architecture of the school would be the cherry on top.
5 Things Get Spicy At The Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute (Food Wars!)
Totsuki Saryo is the most well-known culinary institute in Japan so it's no surprise that a school festival hosted there would be a food lover's dream. All students, including the famous Elite Ten Council, must set up their own food booths in an attempt to outsell their peers and cement their standing at the school. From a visitor's standpoint, this means that there are close to one hundred booths selling creative and varied dishes from the most talented young chefs in the country.
4 Taiga And Ryuji Put On A Show For Ohashi High School's Festival (Toradora!)
Most school festivals would involve classes putting on acts such as an art display, maid café, or haunted house. However, when a voting process goes wrong, it results in a professional wrestling play being the highlight of the Ohashi High School festival. Visitors can come for the food and enjoy the friendly vibes of performances from every class, but only at Ohashi can they see students put on a play involving music, wrestlers, and dragons, as well as a beauty contest and a foot race all in one place.
3 Kamiyama High School's Festival Is The Culmination Of The Series (Hyouka)
Kamiyama High School has everything visitors could expect. Stalls upon stalls of fresh food, a variety of student-led productions to entertain all kinds of tastes. Yet, for history buffs, there is a prize even greater at Kamiyama High School. The classic literature club is selling a special anthology called Hyouka. Containing historical facts and clues about the mysteries of an event that happened 45 years ago at the school, it's a mystery begging to be solved for those who love puzzles.
2 Hachiman Feels That The Sobu High School Festival Was Wrong, As He Expected (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU)
In a high school with talented students like Hikigaya Hachiman and Yukino Yukinoshita, a school festival would be expected to run efficiently and with expert organization. For visitors planning to visit Sobu High School's festival, this is exactly what they would enjoy.
Multiple stage productions give viewers a full schedule of events to partake in, including a yaoi play, an entire orchestra performance, and even a bonus musical act from the service club that was not in the itinerary.
1 Ryoo High School's Students Give The Festival Maximum Effort (Lucky Star)
In Ryoo High School, the loveable and quirky girls decide to put on a cheerleading routine to entertain those who come to watch, while the stage performances are refreshingly down to earth thanks to performers that can't help but argue with each other. With students cosplaying as characters from other anime and a final dance to cap of the end of the events, there is a fun time to be had at Ryoo High School's cultural festival.