2014 Cherry Blossom Festival & Parade
The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival is said to be the second largest festival outside of Washington, D.C. to celebrate the blooming of cherry blossoms and is held at one of three remaining Japantowns in the United States.
47th Annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
Saturdays and Sundays, April 12-13 and April 19-20, 2014
Japantown (Post and Buchanan Streets), San Francisco
FREE
The 2014 festival will be held on Post Street between Laguna and Fillmore Streets. There will be food booths, cultural performances, martial arts, live bands, the annual Queen Program, exhibits and demonstrations of ikebana (flower arranging), sumi-e (brush/ink painting), calligraphy, bonsai (tree dwarfing), origami, and doll-making. Traditional Japanese music will fill the air at recitals spotlighting koto (harp-like instruments), shakuhachi (bamboo flutes), and shamisen.
The 2014 Cherry Blossom Festival Grand Parade begins at the Civic Center at 1 pm on Sunday, April 20, 2014, proceeding up Polk to Post Street, and ending in Japantown at Post and Fillmore streets.
A number of performers from Japan will be present, as well as Japanese classical (Buyo) and folk dance (Minyo) groups representing the Bay Area performing throughout the parade route. San Francisco Taiko Dojo will keep the parade upbeat, and this year’s Queen and her Court will cascade their way to Japantown.
Anchoring the parade is the Taru Mikoshi hoisted by over one hundred strong individuals from throughout the Bay Area.
Peace Plaza events include:
- 11:00 – 12:00 pm San Francisco Kendo Dojo
- 12:00 – 12:30 pm Enshin Karate
- 12:30 – 1:00 pm Nishi Kaigan Iaido Dojo
- 3:30 – 4:00 pm Awakko-Ren
- 4:00 – 5:00 pm “Soulit – Japanese Funk-Soul (See Seiko Fujimoto)”
- 5:00 – 2014 CBF Raffle Drawing
Webster Stage
3:00pm to 4:00pm Rendezvous
