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Festivals / June / Sapporo

YOSAKOI Soran Festival

YOSAKOIソーラン祭りsay “yoh-sah-koy soh-rahn”

For five days each June, about 30,000 dancers in bold costumes take over the streets of Sapporo, each team with clappers in hand and a line of an old fishermen's song in its music.

Sapporo · Map ↗Five days in early to mid June, ending on a Sunday, every year★ Easy accessDanceSummerParade
A large team in colourful costumes with drums and flags performs in a street lined with trees.
A team performing at Ōdōri Park, YOSAKOI Soran Festival, Sapporo, June 2018. Photo: OKJaguar, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

What it is

The YOSAKOI Soran Festival is Sapporo’s great early-summer dance festival. Its name joins two things: yosakoi, the free-style dance with wooden clappers from Kōchi’s Yosakoi Matsuri, and Sōran-bushi, the song of Hokkaido’s herring fishermen.

It began in 1992 with 10 teams and 1,000 dancers. Today about 30,000 people dance in it: school groups, company teams, neighbourhood clubs, and teams from across Japan and abroad. Each team writes its own music, designs its own costumes and practises for months.

The motto is “the city is the stage”. Teams dance in parades along Ōdōri Park, on outdoor stages, in shopping streets and even in supermarket car parks. Most venues are run by local volunteers.

Key dates

The festival at a glance

DateWhat happens
All five daysDancing across the city: Teams perform at Ōdōri Park and venues around Sapporo, moving from stage to stage
Last day (Sunday)Semi-final and final: The best teams compete on the stage at Ōdōri Park 8-chōme
First visit?

Which day should you go?

Best for first-timers

The weekend

Watch the parades along Ōdōri Park, then catch the final on Sunday at the 8-chōme stage.

Fewer people

A weekday

Smaller crowds at the parade routes, and teams still perform all over the city.

At the festival

What to look for

Dancers in black and red costumes leap down a city street with clappers in their hands.
A team dancing in the street parade near Ōdōri Park, YOSAKOI Soran Festival, Sapporo, June 2018. Photo: OKJaguar, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

Naruko

Every dancer holds naruko, wooden clappers once used to scare birds from rice fields. It is one of only two rules.

Sōran-bushi

The second rule: each team's music must include a phrase of Sōran-bushi, a work song of Hokkaido's herring fishermen. Beyond that, the dance and music are free.

The jikatasha

In parades, each team follows a decorated truck, the jikatasha, carrying its sound system and singers.

The parade on Ōdōri

The north and south streets of Ōdōri Park become a 500-metre parade course for the biggest teams, up to 150 dancers each.

Getting there

Getting there & where to stay

FromHowTime
New Chitose AirportJR Rapid Airport to Sapporoabout 40 min
TokyoFlight from Haneda to New Chitose, then JR to Sapporoabout 3 h

On the day. Ōdōri Park is about 10 minutes on foot from JR Sapporo Station, or one stop by subway. Other venues include the square in front of the old Hokkaido Government red-brick office and Sapporo Factory.

Crowds. About two million people watch over five days. Ōdōri Park is packed at weekends and for the final.

Where to stay

Our pick

Ōdōri and Susukino

Walk to the main venues and to Sapporo's restaurant district.

Sapporo Station area

Many hotels and the easiest arrival from the airport.

When to book. Hotels in central Sapporo fill up for the festival. Book 2–3 months ahead.

Book ahead

Tours & ticketsYukata and kimono rental Rent a yukata for the day. Most rental shops dress you and tie the obi.Tours & ticketsTours and tickets in Hokkaido Day tours, rail passes and attraction tickets on Klook.Mobile dataA Japan eSIM Mobile data for maps, train times and schedule changes on the day.

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Times are typical fastest routes. Check current timetables before you travel.

Around the festival

Make a day of it

Festival days

Former Hokkaido Government Office 北海道庁旧本庁舎（赤れんが庁舎）

The square in front of this red-brick building is one of the festival venues, a few minutes from Sapporo Station.

Daytime

Sapporo Clock Tower 札幌市時計台

The wooden clock tower, a symbol of Sapporo, stands a short walk from Ōdōri Park. Open 8:45–17:10 (last entry 17:00).

Opening hours change by season. Check before you go.

Before you go

Practical tips

  • Seats. Paid stand seats are sold along the Ōdōri parade, and some seats are free. Check the official site for the year's ticket sales.
  • Plan your venues. The official schedule lists which team dances where and when. Pick a few teams and follow them.
  • Weather. June in Sapporo is mild but can be cool in the evening. Bring a light jacket.
Words you’ll hear

Glossary

Naruko鳴子

Wooden clappers once used to scare birds from rice fields, now carried by yosakoi dancers.

Matsuri祭り

A Japanese festival, usually held for the kami of a local shrine. The word comes from the idea of serving and entertaining the gods.

Sources

References

  • YOSAKOI Soran Festival Organizing Committee: 36th festival dates (June 9–13, 2027), https://www.yosakoi-soran.jp/news/36th_eventdates.html (in Japanese)
  • YOSAKOI Soran Festival: Basic knowledge (rules, venues, parade and stage formats), https://www.yosakoi-soran.jp/knowledge/ (in Japanese)
  • YOSAKOI Soran Festival: About (roots in Kōchi's Yosakoi Matsuri, naruko, Sōran-bushi), https://www.yosakoi-soran.jp/about/ (in Japanese)
  • YOSAKOI Soran Festival: History and results, https://www.yosakoi-soran.jp/event_result/ (in Japanese)
  • Sapporo Tourism Association (Welcome to Sapporo): Sapporo Clock Tower opening information, https://www.sapporo.travel/?p=12104 (in Japanese)

Last checked 2026-10-21.