Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Announced
The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival will be held in San Francisco's Japantown this spring. Organizers are anticipating over 250,000 attendees for the event, which celebrates Japanese culture with performances and festivities. It is one of the largest cherry blossom festivals in the country.
Established in 1968, the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival was created to celebrate the opening of the Japan Center and to promote cultural understanding between Japan and the United States. The first parade took place on March 31, 1968, and the festival has since grown to become the second-largest of its kind in the U.S., trailing only the festival in Washington, D.C. This year marks the 59th anniversary of the festival, which will be held over two weekends: April 11-12 and April 18-19, 2026. The Grand Parade, a highlight of the event, is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, and will travel from City Hall to the heart of Japantown. The festival is held in one of only three remaining officially designated Japantowns in the United States. San Francisco's Japantown, or Nihonmachi, is the oldest in the continental U.S. and was established after the 1906 earthquake forced many Japanese residents to relocate to the Western Addition. Attendees can expect a wide array of cultural programming, much of which is free to the public. Events include traditional arts and crafts, bonsai and doll-making lessons, tea ceremonies, martial arts demonstrations, and live musical performances. A key feature of the parade is the Taru Mikoshi, a portable Shinto shrine made of sake barrels, which is carried to bestow blessings. While the Peace Plaza undergoes renovations, the festival is expanding its footprint, adding a block of Sutter Street on the first weekend. The festival also serves as a platform for community, with nonprofit food vendors and a Queen Program that has been a part of the festivities for decades.
