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🏮 Hokkai Soran Matsuri

北海ソーラン祭り

Yoichi, Hokkaido (JR余市駅横特設会場) · Every year on the 1st Saturday and Sunday of July

Summer festivalTraditional performing artsFood stalls

292 days to go
Rooms around Yoichi, Hokkaido fill up while the festival is on.

The Hokkai Soran Festival is a summer event held every July in Yoichi, Hokkaido, the birthplace of the Soran Bushi, a folk song representative of Hokkaido. In 2025, the 57th edition will be held on Saturday, July 5, from 10:00 to 17:00 at a special venue beside JR Yoichi Station. Food stalls selling local Yoichi specialties and other vendors set up at the venue, which fills with visitors. Soran Bushi is a work song once sung by the yan-shu laborers hired for the herring fishery, and after poor catches around 1955 it faced the danger of dying out. This festival began in Yoichi, the birthplace of Soran Bushi, in order to preserve it and pass it on to later generations. Highlights on the day include Hokkai Soran Daiko drum performances on stage and the Soran Odori, in which participants dance in a circle at the venue. In most years there are also dances by local residents and a boat float parade, but in 2025 no fireworks display will be held. Instead, events for families to enjoy are planned, such as a junior high school brass band performance and a working vehicle corner.