posted by: Simona K.
The 13th year of Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival takes place between April 4 to 28 in 2019. Over 40,000 cherry trees lining the streets of Vancouver will attract the crowds of visitors who will celebrate the light pink blossoms in 2019. The cultural calendar is full of arts events, community bike rides, cherry blossom viewing tours, and traditional Japanese festivities. If you wish to see mostly cherry blossoms, the festival runs a site for a regularly-updated list of the best viewing spots. In celebration of spring, there are events throughout Metro Vancouver. The most popular ones are Cherry Jam Concert downtown, Spring Lights Illumination Night at Stanley Park, Sakura Days Japan Fair at VanDusen Garden and more.
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival starts with a Cherry Jam concert at the Burrard SkyTrain Station. It’s a great little event featuring Taiko Japanese drumming, dance and other performances, including the reading of haiku poetry. See Cherry Blossom Festival Cherry Jam Concert for more information.
When: April 4th from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Spring Lights Illumination Night Spring Lights Illumination Night previously took place at the Queen Elizabeth Park, but this year the event will be held at Stanley Park. Enjoy the lights and the cherry blossoms by the Japanese Monument in the middle of Stanley Park. A crowd of a few thousand people attends each year to celebrate the spring. For more information, check out Spring Lights Sakura Illumination Night.
When: April 11th, 12th, and 13th
The Sakura Days Japan Fair takes place at VanDusen Botanical Garden in 2019. Every year you can experience Japanese anime comic art together with other great activities like Japanese tea ceremony, Japanese food for sale and sake to sample. There are also origami, calligraphy and ikebana workshops for the public. See Sakura Days Japan Fair on the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival website for more information.
When: April 13th & 14th
The Big Picnic is a free cherry blossom-viewing event at Queen Elizabeth Park that happens in any weather. “Hanami” is the Japanese traditional practice of gathering with friends and family in parks under cherry trees and admiring the blossoms. The Big Picnic is a celebration of “hanami” where “hana” in Japanese means “flower” and “mi” means “to see.” Last year there was live entertainment, free outdoor sessions of yoga and around 3 food trucks, and a similar program can be expected in 2019. The event usually attracts between around 500 and 1000 people so it's not a big event. For more information about the Vancouver Cherry Blossom’s outdoor “hanami” event in, click Big Picnic.
When: April 13th from noon until 3 pm
The Sakura Night Gala is a standing-only dinner reception at the Stanley Park Pavilion. By attending this “pink tie” dress code event, you will be able to enjoy a selection of fancy dishes prepared by Vancouver’s top Japanese chefs. It’s a fundraising event and the ticket price includes a tax-deductible charitable donation to the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. Make sure to get your ticket in advance as the ticket sale ends on April 30th! For more information about the dinner event at Stanley Park, click Sakura Night Gala.
When: May 5th from 6:30 until 9:30 pm
Bike the Blossoms is a free event that takes place towards the end of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival season. The ride is approximately 10 to 12 km in distance. If you wish to participate in this event, make sure you will fill out a waiver form available online and bring it with you to the event. The bike route varies slightly each year but always starts on the south side of John Hendry Park, just a short walk from the Trout Lake Community Centre. For more information about this Vancouver Cherry Blossom cycling event, click Bike the Blossoms.
When: April 27th from 11am to 1pm
The Lower Mainland has thousands of cherry trees all over the region. To find out what’s blooming and where, the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival offers an interactive map. People can post there or see what’s in bloom. The best places to admire the cherry blossoms are Stanley Park, VanDusen Garden and outside Burrard Station, but the trees bursting into bloom are throughout the whole region. If you have found your own inspiration among the pink petals, join a Haiku Invitational competition or a BC Blossom photo contest open to everyone.
If you have any other suggestions on what not to miss during cherry blossom season in Vancouver 2019, share your tips with us! Comment below, let us know on our Facebook page or post your pictures on Instagram and use the tag #mydaysinnvan.
