March 12, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Programming for the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia in 2024 will include live music performances, a tea ceremony, a cosplay contest and several other events.
As Philly anticipates cherry blossoms to bloom this spring, the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia is again planning its annual festival to mark the occasion.
According to the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center, Philly residents should expect a peak bloom from the Yoshino Cherry trees in West Fairmount Park around the first week of April, just in time for the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival to kick off.
Programming begins Sunday, April 7, with performances from Tamagawa University Dance and Taiko Troupe, an international touring group. Select Japanese restaurants in the Philly region will have special menus from April 8 to April 14. The culmination of the festival is Sakura Weekend, kicking off Friday, April 12, at the Fallser Club in East Falls.
Sakura Weekend festivities will take place at Fairmount Park and the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center, featuring music and dance performances, family-friendly activities, a beer garden from Triple Bottom Brewing and opportunities to try food from various local vendors.
Also highlighted are a cosplay costume contest, a "pretty in pink" pet parade, a fashion walk, origami helmet making, cherry blossom face painting and Saturday karaoke at the beer garden. From April 18 to 26, a curated series of films called "Youth Rebellion in Japanese Cinema" will screen at Lightbox Film Center, located at 401 S. Broad Street.
The Cherry Blossom Festival started in 1998 and recognizes the 1,600 cherry trees that the Japanese government donated to Philadelphia in 1926. "Sakura," the Japanese word for cherry blossoms, has significance to Japanese culture by representing renewal and optimism, and the festival is a way to share the country's culture with Philly residents.
"You can experience Japan while you are here," said Kazumi Teune, executive director of Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia. "The Cherry Blossom Festival is a true labor of love between myself and my fellow board members, and each year we are overjoyed in bringing a taste of our beautiful culture to Philadelphia."
Teune touted an attendance of 40,000 at last year's festival, and admission for Sakura Weekend is free to the public. Some individual events, such as film screenings, will have their own admission requirements or fees. Anyone can donate to the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia to support the organization's programming and events.
