A colourful Japanese dance festival is coming to Lethbridge this September, bringing performers from across North America and Japan to the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden.
KOKUYOSA will fill the garden with Yosakoi performances, cultural programming, and interactive dance workshops over the two days, giving you a chance to experience the Japanese dance tradition up close and take part.
Here’s a look at everything happening throughout the festival.
What to expect at KOKUYOSA?
What is KOKUYOSA?
KOKUYOSA is the North American International Yosakoi Festival, a celebration centred around a high-energy Japanese dance tradition. According to KOKUYOSA, the festival was created to bring the community together in Alberta, while introducing more people to the dance, its history and the culture surrounding it.
According to organizers, the festival has five main goals, including sharing Yosakoi and Japanese culture across Alberta while supporting tourism and the local communities in Lethbridge and Calgary.
KOKUYOSA also hopes to grow the Yosakoi community in Canada and strengthen connections between Japanese and Nikkei communities across North America, and on a larger scale, the festival wants to help Yosakoi continue growing as an international tradition.
What is Yosakoi?
Yosakoi is a Japanese dance style that started in Kochi in 1954 and has since spread around the world. According to KOKUYOSA, the dance is known for large groups moving together, colourful costumes, original choreography, and music ranging from traditional Japanese sounds to rock, pop, and electronic music.
There are two main rules for Yosakoi: dancers must carry naruko, small wooden clappers that are traditionally used to scare birds away from rice fields, and the music must include a phrase from the local folk song “Yosakoi-bushi.” Everything else, from the costumes and choreography to the music, is up to each team.
What can I do at KOKUYOSA?
Throughout the festival, you’ll be able to watch Yosakoi teams perform, see dancers take part in the parade and competition, catch guest performances, and even learn some of the dance yourself.
What can I do on Saturday?
- 9 a.m.: Teams assemble and warm up
- 10 a.m.: Yosakoi parade with participating teams
- 10:30 am.: Opening ceremony
- 11:15 a.m.: Flag performance set to “Kaede”
- 12:10 p.m.: First round of the Yosakoi competition (all 12 teams)
- 1:30 p.m.: Lunch break, mini workshop with Yoshihiro Kaneko
- 1:45 p.m.: Second Yosakoi parade performance
- 2 p.m.: Partnership performances
- 2:30 p.m.: Okinawan Eisa performance
- 2:45 p.m.: Yosakoi workshop and Chika Tamura
- 3:15 p.m.: Second round of the Yosakoi competition
- 5:50 p.m.: Awards and closing ceremony, followed by the Grand Prize Performance
- 6:20 p.m.: Final sõ-odori
What can I do on Sunday?
- 9 a.m.: Meet the instructors and warm up
- 9:15 a.m.: Learn how to use a naruko
- 9:25 a.m.: Yosakoi dance session with Chika Tamura
- 10:05 a.m.: Yosakoi dance session with ZEN
- 10:45 a.m.: Yosakoi dance session with Yoshihiro Kaneko
- 11:15 a.m.: Mass dance in the garden
- 11:35 a.m.: Group drone photo
- 11:50 a.m.: Workshop day ends
What can I do besides watch the performances?
There are several ways to get involved throughout the festival, even if you’re not part of one of the competing teams. The festival offers interactive Yosakoi workshops where you can learn the basics of the dance, try the movements yourself, and even use traditional naruko clappers.
You can also join the sō-odori, or mass dance, where visitors can dance alongside the performances. It’s open to everyone, so you don’t need any experience to take part.
Will there be any special guests?
KOKUYOSA is bringing several special guests to Lethbridge for the festival, including dancers and choreographers from Japan. These guests will take part in the festival’s performances and workshops, giving you a chance to learn from people who are active in Japan’s Yosakoi community.
The 2026 special guests include Chika Tamura, a Yosakoi choreographer from Kochi, and Yoshihiro Kaneko, a vocalist, overall director and lyricist with Yosakoi team Narutaka.
When is KOKUYOSA?
The festival will take place over two days, from Saturday, Sept. 19 to Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. Saturday will bring a full lineup of performances, the Yosakoi parade and competitions, while Sunday will focus on workshops and opportunities to learn about the dance,
Where is the event being held?
The festival will take place at Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden in Lethbridge. The garden was created as a symbol of friendship between Canada and Japan, with landscaped pathways, ponds, bridges, and traditional Japanese garden elements throughout.
Getting to Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden is fairly straightforward whether you’re travelling from Calgary or staying in Lethbridge. From Calgary, the garden is about 220 kilometres south via Highway 2, about a two-hour drive. From downtown Lethbridge, it’s about a 10-minute drive along Mayor Magrath Drive toward Henderson Lake.
For visitors flying in, Lethbridge Airport (YQL) is about 8 kilometres from the garden, or roughly a 10-minute drive. Transit also serves the area around the garden, with the City of Lethbridge providing current routes and schedules.
Where can I park?
Free parking is available near the venue, so you won’t have to worry about paying anything extra when you arrive. According to organizers, a shuttle bus will also run to the event, with more details expected closer to the event.
Is the event free to attend?
Admission to KOKUYOSA is completely free, and you don’t need to register ahead of time to watch the festival’s performances and take part in the public programming.
Organizers note that if you want to explore the paid areas of the garden while you’re there, you need to buy a separate garden admission ticket directly from Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden.
When: Saturday, Sept. 19 to Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026
Time: Saturday, Sept. 19: 9 a.m. to 6:20 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 20: 9 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Where: Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden – 835 Mayor Magrath Dr. S., Lethbridge, Alta.
Cost: Free
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Kaiya Williams
Kaiya is a Calgary-based writer and content creator with a background in marketing and digital storytelling. She has a passion for community-driven stories and covering local experiences that connect people.
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