The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is the city’s signature springtime event and the annual celebration of cherry blossoms inspired by the age-old Japanese cultural tradition of hanami (flower viewing).

Our mantra, “there is no stranger under the cherry tree,” welcomes inclusion, participation and celebration of all community groups. Through our community-building events, we want to make the arts accessible and representative of all people across all backgrounds. For the few weeks the cherry blossoms are in bloom, we strive to be united as one community where our shared connection to nature means we are all connected.

How We Started

So many people ask me, “how did you ever come up with the idea to start the Festival? “Living abroad for 13 years with my husband in the Canadian Foreign Service, every spring I missed the glorious cherry trees in bloom at home in Vancouver. A Japanese diplomat, Knobu-san, told me about the age-old Sakura Festivals of Japan. Since many of Vancouver’s 43,000 cherry trees originated as gifts from Japan, creating a Vancouver festival struck me as a perfect way to express our gratitude for this generous gift and to celebrate the beauty and joy they bring to everyone.

Our Team Makes Things Happen

To actively engage diverse communities through accessible arts and culture that celebrates the transcendent fragile beauty of the cherry blossom. To sustain & renew Vancouver’s cherry tree heritage.