Held at 17 locations! A major event that will fill Kochi City with festival spirit

The Yosakoi Festival is a carnival that symbolizes the summer in the southern region of Kochi, Tosa. It began in 1954 (Showa 29) when volunteers from the Kochi Chamber of Commerce and Industry planned it to cheer up the citizens during the economic recession following the Second World War.
In 1992, students from Hokkaido who were fascinated by the Yosakoi festival held the "YOSAKOI Soran Festival" in Sapporo. This sparked Yosakoi fever to spread throughout Japan, and Yosakoi festivals began to be planned all over the country. Now, the scale of the festival has expanded to the point where national tournaments are held, and it is loved by people all over Japan.
On August 10th and 11th, the Yosakoi Festival will see approximately 200 teams and 18,000 dancers from Japan and overseas gather to perform energetic dances at 17 venues (9 competition venues and 8 performance venues) in the center of Kochi City. Approximately 1 million spectators will come from all over the country to watch.

●2025 Yosakoi Festival event schedule (planned)

▼ Saturday, August 9th: Tosa Student Yosakoi Festival, Eve of the Festival, Kochi City Summer Fireworks Festival

▼August 10th (Sun) and 11th (Mon): Yosakoi Festival

▼ August 12th (Tuesday): Yosakoi National Tournament and After-party

There are four basic rules, and the dance is updated with team colors.

There are four main rules for participating in the Yosakoi Festival:

1) Dancing while striking a naruko, an instrument made of a rice scoop-shaped board with drumsticks attached to both sides.
This is a unique feature of the Yosakoi Festival.
2) The music must include a part (phrase) of the festival's traditional song, "Yosakoi Naruko Dance."
As long as you follow that rule, you're free to arrange the rhythm and melody however you like.
③ Each team can have up to 150 members.
④Each team must prepare a local float to lead the dancers.

Because the rules are simple and open-ended, each team strives for originality by putting in lots of effort into everything from dance to music to costumes. During the actual event, they put on a performance that heats up the atmosphere.

Check out these places at the Yosakoi Festival

The dance, music, costumes, how to play the Naruko, and local floats are the criteria for deciding the "Yosakoi Grand Prize" and are also highlights. The sight of about 100 dancers in each team dancing in perfect unison is particularly moving, full of passion and spirit. The dancers' individuality is expressed in the ingenious choreography, which includes hip-hop and samba styles, and the music is diverse, ranging from traditional songs to rock band performances and trendy arrangements.
Another thing to look forward to are the glittering costumes. Each team pays attention to the details of the design, and they captivate the audience with a variety of costumes, including patterns based on Japanese crests, vibrant colors, and stylish types.

Also not to be missed are the colorfully decorated local floats, which are the symbol of each team. On top of the local floats is a mini stage where microphone performers and taiko drummers stand. Some floats are decorated with neon lights and dry ice, further livening up the festival.

How to enjoy each viewing venue?

Of the 17 venues, the Central Park Competition Hall and Kochi Castle Performance Hall will have special stages set up. The Central Park venue in particular will have a large screen, allowing audiences to enjoy the performances with a live feel.
Other venues are street performances. Among them, Obiyacho Enbujo, Kyomachi Enbujo and Harimayabashi Kyoenjo are held in the shopping arcade, so you can get up close to the dancers and feel their excitement.
The Otesuji Main Competition Stadium is the venue where the most teams take part, and box seats are also provided. Multiple teams perform their dances one after the other on the north and south sides of the road, creating a spectacular sight.
During the festival, the Yosakoi Festival's dedicated website "Dokoiko Service Neo" is useful. It provides real-time information on each team, patrol information, and waiting time predictions at the venue.

▼Dokoiko Service Neo
URL: https://dokoiko.tosanonatsu.com/

Tourists can become dancers too! Join in and experience the festival

On the main festival days, the 10th and 11th, a team called the "Citizen Charter Yosakoi Dancers' Troop" is formed, which anyone can join at will. There is no age limit, and anyone who wants to dance can participate for free. The dance has been arranged to be easy to remember, so even beginners can join with ease. The process of joining is simple, and after registering on the day and practicing the dance for about an hour, it's time to set off for the parade. The parade starts at the Otesuji Headquarters Competition Hall, passes through the Obiyamachi Enbujo Theater, and heads to the stage at the Central Park Competition Hall, but you can join or leave the group freely along the way, so it's easy to join.
However, don't forget to bring your own Naruko. Naruko are sold near the reception desk, and there are also classes for making them (approximately 15 minutes, 1,500 yen per group), so you can also get them on site.

▼Citizen Charter Yosakoi Dance Troupe
URL: https://www.city.kochi.kochi.jp/soshiki/21/shiminkensyouyosakoi.html
Dates: August 10th (Sun) and 11th (Mon) *Times are approximate
14:00 Reception begins
14:30 Practice begins
16:00 Departure Ceremony
17:00 Performance at Otesuji Main Competition Hall
18:00 Performance at Obiyamachi Enbujo
19:00 Performance on stage at the Central Park Competition Hall, disbanding after the performance
Participation fee: Free, but if you want to purchase a paper happi coat, it will cost 1,000 yen each
How to participate: On the day of the event, please register at the entrance to the gymnasium at Kochi Prefectural Kochi Otemae High School (2-2-10 Otesuji, Kochi City)
Conditions for participation: Bring your health insurance card (copies are acceptable) and Naruko. Elementary school students and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
TEL: 088-823-9080 (Kochi City Hall Community Promotion Division), Naruko sales and craft classes 088-873-0821 (Naruko Kobo Kodakasa / Kodakasaka Rehabilitation Center)

The day before the main event, there will also be the largest fireworks display in Kochi Prefecture.

On the 9th, the day before the actual event, the Tosa Student Yosakoi Tournament will be held during the day at Kochi Castle Enbujo Theater, and in the evening a pre-event festival (paid seats available) will be held in Central Park, where the winning teams from the previous year will perform their dances.
The Kochi City Summer Fireworks Festival is also held on the banks of the Kagami River, which flows near both venues. This is one of the largest fireworks festivals in Kochi Prefecture, with approximately 4,000 fireworks launched, and you can see elaborate fireworks such as Starmine, which is characterized by rapid firing, and No. 8 fireworks. The most impressive fireworks are those that can be seen from a close distance of about 100m from the launch site, and the Niagara, which is the largest in western Japan and is approximately 650m long.
If you want to experience the powerful sound and size of the fireworks, the best place to do so is at the viewing venue, but we also recommend enjoying the dance performances by the dancers at the eve of the festival venue, about 1 km away.

▼75th Kochi City Summer Fireworks Festival
URL: https://welcome-kochi.jp/event/hanabi
Date and time: Saturday, August 9, 2025, 19:45-21:00
*The same day every year regardless of the day of the week.
In the event of bad weather, the event will be postponed to Wednesday, August 13th at the same time. If the weather is bad on Wednesday, August 13th, the event will be canceled.
Venue: Near Midori Hiroba (1-3-14 Takajocho, Kochi City) on the banks of the Kagami River in Kochi City
Price: All seats in the viewing venue are paid, tickets must be purchased in advance.
・Folding chair seats: 2,000 yen each
・Mas seats from 4,800 yen etc.
*Early bird discounts available for purchases made by July 3rd. For details, Ticket Information Confirm.
TEL: 088-823-4016 (Kochi City Tourism Association)

The "Yosakoi National Championship" and the after-party were a big success to end the event

The final day of the festival will be the Yosakoi National Tournament on the 12th. The venues are the Otesuji Competition Hall, which has box seats, as well as the Central Park Competition Hall, Kochi Castle Enbujo, and Obiyacho Enbujo. 49 groups participate every year, with entries from all over Japan and even overseas. In addition to seeing a wide variety of unique dances, you can also enjoy competing with teams that have won prizes at the Yosakoi Festival. The climax is the General Dance Parade, which starts at around 9pm at the Otesuji Competition Hall. All the participants dance to the official song of the Yosakoi National Tournament, Naruko Hana, bringing the festival to a spectacular close.
At the Central Park Competition Hall, there will be a paid seating area for the after-party, and an awards ceremony will be held for the 22 teams that impressed many people at the Yosakoi Festival.

▼Traffic regulations (information for 2024 below)
All vehicles will be closed to the Masugata area, Umeno-tsuji, Sainoba, Atago and Manman competition venues from 12:15 to 21:30 on August 10th and 11th.
All vehicles will be closed to traffic on the Otesuji Main Competition Hall, Obiyacho Enbujo and surrounding roads from 12:45 to 22:00 on August 10th to 12th.
Please check the website for details.

▼Otesuji Main Stadium Box Seats
URL: https://welcome-kochi.jp/yosakoi/sajikiseki.html
Dates: 10th (Sun) and 11th (Mon) (Yosakoi Festival), 12th (Tue) (National Tournament)
Venue: Otesuji Headquarters Dance Hall (Otesuji, in front of Kochi Prefectural Kochi Otemae High School to in front of Tenri Kochi University Church)
Price: General seating advance tickets (free for children under 3)
・Daytime A seats: 2,000 yen, B seats: 1,000 yen
・Evening session A seats: 3,000 yen, B seats: 2,000 yen
How to purchase: Kochi City Tourism Association website. Tickets will go on sale in late June.
・Same-day tickets will be sold at the West Site only if any advance tickets remain.
West site: 2-9-6-7 Otesuji, Kochi City (outdoor event space next to Otepia), 11:00-sold out
TEL: 088-823-4016 (Kochi City Tourism Association)

▼ Central Park Competition Hall box seats
URL: http://www.cciweb.or.jp/kochi/yosakoiweb
Dates: August 9th (Saturday) (Pre-party), August 12th (Tuesday) (Post-party)
Venue: Central Park (1-11-27 Obiyacho, Kochi City)
Price: Advance tickets for general seating (free for children under 3 years old as long as they sit on a guardian's lap. If a seat is required, a fee applies.)
・S seats: 7,000 yen
・A seat: 5,000 yen
How to purchase: Available at Lawson Ticket (in-store Loppi or online).
Sales period: July 6th (Sun) 2025 10:00 to August 6th (Wed) 23:59
・Same-day tickets will be sold only if there are any advance tickets remaining (sales points are site Check the following:
TEL: 088-875-1178 (Yosakoi Festival Promotion Association)

<Experience the excitement of the Yosakoi Festival even outside the festival period>

1Yosakoi Party LIVE

An original Yosakoi dance show is held every night!

OMO7 Kochi by Hoshino Resorts Kochi by Hoshino Resorts is a downtown hotel where you can experience the lively Yosakoi Festival and Kochi's party culture of "Okyaku." The hotel hosts an original Yosakoi dance show, "Yosakoi Rakuen LIVE," every night, exclusively for guests. Staff/staff member themselves become dancers, and perform a spectacular dance set to the original music of OMO7 Kochi by Hoshino Resorts Kochi, including the "Authentic Yosakoi Naruko Dance," beloved by Kochi residents.
The original dance performance is a collaboration between three leading figures in the Yosakoi world in Kochi. The name "Rakuen" is a coined word that expresses the Kochi culture of hospitality for everyone, and it evokes the image of hospitality for Guest/customer and the bright and lively Yosakoi festival, as well as Experience performance in which the dancers and the audience become one.

▼ Overview of "Yosakoi Rakuen LIVE"
Time: 21:00~21:30
Location: OMO7 Kochi by Hoshino Resorts" OMO Base (Travelers' Fun Lounge)" Grand Staircase
Eligible: Hotel guests only
Fee: Free
Reservation: Not required

OMO7 Kochi by Hoshino Resorts

• 9-15 Kutanda, Kochi City, Kochi Prefecture MAP
• About 3 minutes walk from the tram station "Saienbacho"
  About 3 minutes walk from the Kochi Ryoma Airport shuttle bus "Saienbacho" bus stop
• Paid