Even now, women are still prohibited on most of the yama and hoko floats, including Naginata boko which leads the parade, but now some Yamahokocho (Preservation Society) hope that women participate in the parade; in 2001, it was decided to allow women to participate in the parade upon the filing of notification with the Gion Matsuri Yamaboko Rengokai (association of Yamaboko, decorative floats, of the Gion festival) by each Yamahokocho: thereby women's participation in the parade was partly permitted (female players in festive music: two on Minamikannon yama float and three on Kanko boko float).
現在も、ほとんどの山鉾と巡行の先頭に立つ長刀鉾などは女人禁制の伝統を守っているが、近年、女性の参加を希望する山鉾町（保存会）がいくつかあり、2001年（平成13年）に各山鉾町の判断で祇園祭山鉾連合会に届け出るという形で女性の参加を容認する方針が決まり、南観音山で2名・函谷鉾で3名の女性囃子方の巡行参加が一部で認められた。