The 31st YOSAKOI Soran Festival concluded after holding its final competition at Odori Park in Chuo-ku, Sapporo City on the final day of June 12. This festival was the first installment after a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The YOSAKOI Soran Grand Prize, which is the highest festival prize, was won by Sapporo City adult team “Kita Subaru”, which entered its ninth year since formation. This was their first Grand Prize.

Ten teams from within and outside of Hokkaido competed in the final competition. Kita Subaru’s theme for this year was “Smash Through”. They danced powerfully, pounding on taiko drums, imbued with the spirit of determination summed up as, “No matter what the situation, always look ahead and push forward,” amidst restrictions on activity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The team wowed spectators with a tightly unified dance performed by 150 dancers, and in their fifth time to compete in the final competition, finally won the much-coveted Grand Prize.

Team Leader Hashimoto Tsukasa commented, “I was so happy to be able to perform in the festival after two years of closure, I was shaking. Winning the Grand Prize is an honor, and I felt even more gratitude than ever before for this festival that puts smiles on so many faces.”

Approximately 20,000 people in about 200 teams participated in this year’s installment of the festival, performing dances at ten venues in the city for five days starting on June 8.