Richmond’s third annual Cherry Blossom Festival will return to Garry Point Park on Sunday, April 7.
The grove of 255 Akebono trees will be the backdrop of an event featuring music, dance performances and food.
There will be a Sado tea ceremony, traditional Japanese calligraphy demonstrations and a performance by Okinawa Taiko group. A tent for kids will feature origami and Yo Yo Tsuri (a balloon fishing game). Food stations will serve bento boxes, yakitori skewers and Japanese-inspired hotdogs.
The special day dedicated to the blossoms celebrates the arrival of spring. Picking a date for an annual festival can be tricky, though, since peak bloom varies year to year. This year, for instance, one early-blooming Whitcomb tree caught the attention of Steveston locals in January.
The flowers are significant in Japanese culture, where they're known as Sakura, according to a city news release. After blooming has peaked and petals begin to fall to the ground, people hold picnics under the trees known as “hanami,” which translates to “watching blossoms.”
Garry Point's cherry blossom trees were planted by the B.C. Wakayama Kenjin Kai Association. Wakayama, Japan was home to Gihei Kuno, who came to Richmond in 1887 before returning to Japan to recruit friends and family to settle in Steveston.
