Reading the Mindset of Young People Obsessed with Events

Among young people today, enthusiasm for participating in real-world events is surging. What drives this mindset—where they seek enjoyment not just through seasonal events like summer festivals and Halloween, but by naming and turning every occasion into an event?
What drives young people to these events? We explore this question based on interviews with the organizing members of "Aoni Festival," a high school cultural festival now in its 15th year.

What is "Aoni Festival," created primarily by high school students?

Recently, a frequently cited keyword in youth research surveys is the heightened desire to participate in events.

This time, we focused on "Aoni Festival" as a case study. First held in 2000, it has since produced numerous high school performers centered around its three pillars: bands, dance, and shows. This music event, which originated from the high school program "High School Hot Party" on FM Setagaya, has continued under the concept of "a place for performers to showcase their daily practice, a festival where everyone can enjoy and participate." It reaches its 15th edition this year.

Initially held at Setagaya Ward's Community Hall, the event gradually expanded in genre and participant geography. Around 2007, its popularity surged significantly, partly due to social media influence. Then, starting with the 12th edition in 2011, it moved to Akasaka BLITZ, propelling it into the mainstream. This year saw applications from as far north as Niigata and Iwate, and as far west as Kyoto.

While other student-led music festivals exist, Aoni Festival's defining feature is that both performers and operational staff are entirely high school students. They handle everything—planning, sales, PR, and even producing promotional videos for performing teams—beyond their school boundaries, all through their own efforts. Up until the 11th edition, the festival was hosted by the Aoni Festival Executive Committee and FM Setagaya, with Setagaya Ward as a co-host. However, starting with the 12th edition, a central office was established. Current sponsor companies maintain a role of supporting the students' activities behind the scenes.

First comes action; goals and results follow later.

Aoni Festival is establishing itself as a gateway for high school performers nationwide, with some participants even achieving their debut. While meeting the executive committee members responsible for this year's event, I found myself wondering about the high schoolers creating such an event... and was somewhat surprised to discover they weren't particularly passionate about music or dance; they were just ordinary high school students.

Why did the organizing members decide to get involved with Aoni Festival? T-san (Grade 12, female), chair of the 15th Aoni Festival Executive Committee, said, "When I was in Grade 10, an alumna invited me to Akasaka BLITZ. The impact was huge. I knew then that next time, I absolutely wanted to help create this event myself." Mr. S (senior, male), head of the publicity team, shared his motivation: "I heard the executive committee brings together people from other schools with various skills, like design or video production. I thought I might get inspired too, so I joined."

Ms. U (third-year university student, female), an alumna who served on the 11th event's executive committee and now works at the headquarters office, reflected on her feelings at the time: "I was drawn to it somehow and decided to join. In my case, I think I was looking for something outside of school that I couldn't get at my own school. I didn't have a clear 'I want to do this' from the start. Aoni Festival provided a place where I could take action first. As I participated and worked with everyone, goals and results naturally emerged."

What the three members share is that their motivation to join the event stemmed from a vague desire to try it out—a latent, internal urge. Traditionally, organizing events or projects around such unarticulated desires seemed impossible. However, the proliferation of media platforms that now accept and amplify these desires has created fertile ground for their realization.

In the first year, the executive committee members were selected through personal connections. However, starting the following year, more people who had attended Aoni Festival as spectators developed an admiration for it and volunteered, saying, "I want to help create this together." In recent years, partly due to the influence of social media, applications have flooded in. The situation has reached the point where a lottery is held to fill the 75 spots on the executive committee.

Young People Selecting Their Communication Methods

When considering why young people are now actively participating in such events, the influence of the internet—the polar opposite of real life—cannot be ignored. They are, so to speak, the "real-life fulfilled."

Executive Committee Chair T emphasizes the superiority of the real experience for enjoyment: "Personally, I never thought to enjoy music online. After a live show, I wanted to hear the performing bands again and checked YouTube, but it felt completely different." Furthermore, Public Relations Team Leader S adds, "When you actually go, for example at Aoni Festival, you feel the heat, and you can see the behind-the-scenes stuff like high schoolers running it... that's where you feel the real thing too. Personally, having worked on Aoni Festival, I've come to recognize that value you just can't get online."

So, how do they view building new relationships through event management while belonging to the established community of high school?

S-kun says, "It's simply the feeling that, with the school community already in place, another community has been added." Others see Aoni Festival, which gathers a more diverse group than school, as offering "shared goals that aren't present in the daily routine of school" or "plenty of topics and information, making conversations more dynamic." Perspectives vary.

The organizing committee, comprising 75 members from 32 schools mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area, primarily uses LINE and Facebook for communication. Incidentally, committee chair T-san is in about 50 LINE groups. Beyond administrative communication with each team, groups are also finely divided by individual members for socializing.

At the same time, they prioritize real-life communication, holding meetings 1-3 times a month. "We got warnings from seniors that LINE can ruin friendships (laughs)," says S-kun. "So LINE is strictly for communication. I think you can't truly convey intentions or emotions without meeting in person for important matters." Many members look forward to these meetings even on their days off, making them a tradition of Aoni Festival.

Maximizing the Value of "Life-Size" Events

The core operational members are second-year high school students. Third-year students, busy with entrance exams, temporarily step back, but once their future paths are decided, they often return to passionately work on event production even in the short time before graduation. We asked them directly: what keeps their motivation strong until then?

"High schoolers without any particularly outstanding talents can pull off such a big event when they work together. Isn't it that sense of affirmation – 'We can do it if we try'?" said S-kun, the PR team leader. On the other hand, regarding adults who generally describe today's youth as "introverted" or "lacking drive," "We have a rebellious streak, but we don't actively rebel. Honestly, there are people like that at school, and I find myself blending in with them there too. So it's less about generations and more about just thinking 'I'm the most important thing, and we're different,' without actually challenging that view." He hints at a discomfort with being lumped into a generational category, even if it doesn't fully erupt.

Aoni Festival marks its 15th year. With increasing applicants, it adopted a screening system, and since three years ago, Akasaka BLITZ has become its venue – achieving unprecedented growth for a high school event. So what does Aoni Festival aim for next?

"Holding Aoni Festival at venues like Budokan or Tokyo Dome feels somehow off," says U from the headquarters office. "We want it to continue indefinitely, at a scale appropriate for high schoolers, without overextending." Furthermore, Executive Committee Chair T adds, "Until now, we've focused on creating a place where performers could shine. But this year, we're also considering projects that bring more ordinary high schoolers—the kind you'd see sitting next to you in class—onto the stage, reaching a broader audience."

As both performers and staff have passed the baton to the next generation, and then the next, some things have undoubtedly changed. Yet, the shared understanding among everyone involved in Aoni Festival—and a wish that remains unchanged—is that it is a place that fulfills high schoolers' desires as a "life-sized," "all-inclusive" event.

While our generation once tried to grow up faster than everyone else, in a way, today's youth seem to understand their true worth and face their future head-on.

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【Wakamon Profile】
Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department (commonly known as Wakamon) is a planning team that engages with the real lives and mindsets of young people, primarily high school and college students. We seek insights from their "present" to find hints for brightening and revitalizing the near future. By anticipating the future through their perspectives, we realize new businesses that foster better relationships between young people and society. Currently, 14 project members are based across our Tokyo headquarters, Kansai branch, and Chubu branch. We also share updates on the Wakamon Facebook page ( https://www.facebook.com/wakamon.dentsu ).