Yokai Matsuri Festival Brings Japanese Folklore to Paris

The Yokai Matsuri festival will take place at La Petite Halle de la Villette in Paris over three dates: May 31, June 28, and July 28, 2025. Conceived by Franco-Japanese artist Maïa Barouh, the event blends concerts, performances, and dance inspired by Japanese folk festivals and yōkai mythological creatures. The lineup includes Mitsune, a Berlin-based quartet mixing traditional shamisen with psychedelic and ritual music; DJ Mask, co-founder of label 180g, spinning Japanese jazz, wamono, afrobeat, and cumbia; Les Nekomata, a collective of dancers, circus artists, and performers evoking the two-tailed cat yōkai; Alek et Les Japonaises, a Belgo-Japanese light music duo; DJ Nezumi (Domi Karsenti), a rare groove specialist resident at Batofar and Divan du Monde; and Seppuku Pistols, a punk collective formed after the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster, performing with traditional instruments like shamisen, biwa, shakuhachi, and taiko. Mitsune's album "Hazama" (2022) reached the Top 10 of the Transglobal World Music Chart and was nominated for the German Record Critics' Award.