Yosakoi Soran Festival

About YOSAKOI Soran Festival "The streets are our stage!" A dance festivity drawing attention from the world.

The YOSAKOI Soran Festival was born when a group of youths declared that "The streets are our stage!"
after witnessing the magic and passion of the historical YOSAKOI Festival in Kochi.
Beginning with only ten teams and 1,000 dancers with 200,000 people cheering them on,
the festival continued to grow bigger with each year and now proudly hosts roughly 30,000 dancers and two million visitors.
The festival has gained recognition both within and beyond Hokkaido and even overseas,
earning it the honour of being the event marking the start of summer.

YOSAKOI Soran Festival performers need only respect two rules!

To have naruko (wooden hand clappers) in their hands as they dance and;
To incorporate the phrase from the Soran Bushi in their song

Every team designs their own colourful costumes and choreographs their own distinctive dance set to lively unique music, which results in no two teams being the same - making sure to keep the spectators constantly engaged and entertained. Not limited to Hokkaido, YOSAKOI Festival events can also be seen being held in various places across the country, proving its growing popularity with local residents as a celebration regardless of age or occupation.

Naruko: These were originally hung in fields to drive away birds with their sound. Ever since their incorporation into the YOSAKOI Festival dances in Kochi, they are now invaluable symbolic props used in present-day and nationwide YOSAKOI related events.

Soran Bushi: A type of traditional Hokkaido folk song which the fishermen would sing as a labour song when they go out to fish for herring. One can feel the massive strength that radiates as the rhythm of the "Yaren soran!" cry in the song is matched to the tugging of ropes and pulling of the net.

How to watch

There are approximately 15 sites for YOSAKOI Soran Festival in Sapporo.
For the duration of the event, sightseeing spots,
commercial facilities, and major streets transform into stages for dancing.
Most sites can be entered freely without charge.

Please see here for information on start times and locations for each venue.: Event Schedule
Site Guide

Main sites "Odori Park Nishi 8-chome site" and "Odori Parade Site" also have paid seating areas where you can enjoy performances comfortably.: Details about
the Odori site can be found here

Join in!

The excitement of the festival is not just for viewing.
There are also programs where you can join in on the dancing.

Participate in a YOSAKOI Soran team!: This temporary team is popular among those who
want to be a part of the main parade with just a
simple practice session!
You too can be a part of the YOSAKOI Soran Festival!

Team name/ BANZAI! NARUKO CARNIVAL
Participation fee / ￥4,000 per person
Day/8(sat)June 2024 14:30-17:00

Main Schedule(planned)

14:30 Reception(Odori Park)
Actual performance!
(15:30 Odori Park MainStage 16:40 Odori Parade Site)
17:00 End of performances,disband ment

How to participate: Advance reservation required.(Please send your name and contact information by email)Deadine May 31st
Please pay the participation fee on the day itself at the time of assembly (cash only)
Please be already dressed in comfortable clothing at the time of assembly

About YOSAKOI Soran Festival "The streets are our stage!" A dance festivity drawing attention from the world.