Cherry Blossom Parade
The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, said to be the second largest festival outside of Washington, D.C., celebrates the blooming of cherry blossoms at one of three remaining Japantowns in the United States.
48th Annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
– April 11-12, 2015 | 10 am to 5 pm
– April 18-19, 2015 | 10 am to 5 pm
Japantown (Post and Buchanan Streets), San Francisco
FREE
The 2015 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, now celebrating its 48th year, is one of California’s most prominent celebrations of Asian traditions. Each year, over 200,000 people attend this dazzling display showcasing the color and grace of the Japanese culture and the diversity of the Japanese American Community.
The Grand Parade will be held on Sunday, April 19, 2015, beginning at City Hall at 1 pm and concluding in Japantown.
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.
San Francisco Taiko Dojo performs a free show at noon on April 11, 12, 18 at the Peace Plaza and on April 19th at 1pm in the parade.
In 2015, the Hello Kitty food truck (yes, you read that right) will be at the Cherry Blossom Festival selling cutesy snacks like macarons, petit fours and donuts. Yes, you can now literally binge on Hello Kitty.
