How would you call these kind of events organized by schools at the end of the year generally in June where children (6 to 12 years old) sing, dance or act?
In French we say :
"Fête annuelle de l'école"
"Kermesse de l'école"
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2In the US, these events are most often called "programs". If it is only singing and band or orchestra music, it's called a "concert". FWIW, a "fair", here in the US is usually not a performance event by school children, but a school-sponsored "fun fair" is a fund-raising event that is like a carnival, usually minus the rides.– Kristina LopezCommented May 26, 2015 at 22:09
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1Thank you, so the most appropriate expression would be "Annual School Fête" (British) or "Annual School Fun Fair" (US). Concerning "programs" how would you use it? If I say "I have to go to my son's school programs on June 7" it sounds awkward to me.– moinoCommented May 26, 2015 at 22:33
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2The good (and accepted) answer given by ExOttoyuhr already contains the word that I would have included in my answer, so I’ll just suggest is as a comment: “End of (the school) year celebration.” If the context is clear (and it usually is) you wouldn’t need to add “school,” and if you omit both “the” and “school,” it would/could be hyphenated (i.e., “end-of-year celebration”).– Papa PouleCommented May 26, 2015 at 22:38
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2Sorry if I wasn't clear. The fun fair does not usually include performances by the children. The school "program" would. So you'd say, "I have to go to my child's Spring Program (or Spring Concert) this afternoon". That would be very well understood here in the US.– Kristina LopezCommented May 26, 2015 at 22:44
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2Thank you @KristinaLopez, in France this is an all-in-one event so it's unlikely I'll find an expression with the same meaning for an American.– moinoCommented May 26, 2015 at 22:58
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3 Answers
Fête is also used in English to mean approximately the same thing. (England)
Summer Fair is also used to mean a celebration or gathering.
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5Summer fairs don't happen during the standard scholastic year and this Midwesterner has never heard Fete.– MazuraCommented May 27, 2015 at 0:31
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@Mazura It's what we called it at my primary school (in England) I'll add that.– MutantoeCommented May 27, 2015 at 8:12
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+1, it is Fête ....Used as both a verb and a noun. If you want to fête someone, throw them a "fête".– MistiCommented May 27, 2015 at 13:25
My first instinct would be to say "school pageant," but my vocabulary is old-fashioned and I don't really know 21st-century popular culture; "pageant" might be exactly the wrong word at this point in history. "Christmas pageants" used to be a staple of schools, but aren't so common anymore; "beauty pageants" are common and could give connotations to the word "pageant" that are horribly wrong in this context.
"Spring Program" is Kristina Lopez' recommendation for this. The term sounds vague and anodyne to my ear, but it might be a better suggestion than mine; the hearer wouldn't learn much about what the event was, but at least he or she wouldn't come out with an incorrect or embarrassing impression.
In this context, "pageant" refers (or formerly referred) to a theatrical performance or series of performances, not depicting a single story or organized into acts and scenes, probably performed by amateurs, in which the quality of the performance is much less important than the fact of participating in it. (Apparently these evolved from the medieval mystery plays.) If this isn't something exclusively theatrical, or if it has competitive elements, "pageant" is not appropriate no matter how archaic your vocabulary may be.
Note that all this is an answer in the US context; from other answers here, it sounds like "school fête" would be perfectly comprehensible in England. (And Wales, Cornwall, and Scotland? Ireland? All of Great Britain? Everywhere in the world that spells "color" with a "u"?)
(This has been edited to reflect Kristina Lopez' and Choster's comments. Thanks!)
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1Thank you, according to what I see on google this expression seems to bear a kind of "miss awards" meaning. Would it make sense for an official yearly event?– moinoCommented May 26, 2015 at 21:08
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1I thought I understood the meaning of "school pageant" when I posted this, but looking up the definition of "pageant" leaves me feeling less confident... Maybe the meaning I gave is obsolescent? Commented May 26, 2015 at 21:11
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1"Pageant" is used for beauty contests now but in the past, schools and churches used "pageant" for a performing program. Commented May 26, 2015 at 22:46
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1I'm not sure that there is a cultural equivalent for the end of the academic year in the US, but the "Christmas pageant" used to be a staple of elementary schools.– chosterCommented May 26, 2015 at 23:17
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Choster, I think you're right -- I was thinking of Christmas pageants more than anything else. I agree, there probably isn't a really good English translation for this... Commented May 27, 2015 at 16:17
How about "Talent Show" or "Annual Talent Show" to emphasize that it's a recurring event?
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Maybe my question was misleading, I'm rather looking for an unambiguous and commonly used expression to describe these kind of events : goo.gl/rWKpMa .– moinoCommented May 26, 2015 at 21:29
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2@user2461194 The 'end of the year' talent show is just one type of assembly.– MazuraCommented May 27, 2015 at 0:29