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.
We believe that access to the arts is a basic right and therefore the vast majority of our events are free to the public. As an “intra-community arts and culture festival”, VCBF contributes to a more vibrant arts and culture scene by educating and increasing appreciation of the arts. A wide range of engaging community events, including performances from a variety of cultures, guided cycling, tree talks and walks, and poetry contests, benefit approximately 175,000 local, national and international participants for one month each spring.
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is where beautiful things happen. The cherry blossom has an amazing ability to open up our hearts, allowing us to be more in touch with our feelings and connect with other people through a shared connection with the rhythms of nature. The transcendent beauty of the cherry blossom reminds us to be mindful and present in the moment to fully enjoy every fleeting moment. The cherry blossom experience inspires actions to help make a better world for loved ones yet to come.
SOCIETY MISSION & CHARITABLE STATUS
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival received charitable status in 2007 through “the advancement of education in the arts, including instruction and training in the arts, as well as raising the aesthetic taste and artistic appreciation of the general public”
Our mission is to actively engage diverse communities through accessible arts and culture that celebrates the transcendent fragile beauty of the cherry blossoms and to sustain and renew Vancouver’s cherry tree heritage. All donations made to VCBF are tax-deductable. Help support us in keeping our events accessible to all.
What We Have Done
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.