Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival
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). We believe there is power in “connecting our communities”. 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 to and representative of all people across all backgrounds. For the few weeks, the cherry blossoms are in bloom, we are united as one community and there are no strangers under the cherry tree.
We believe that everyone should have access to the arts, and therefore the majority of our events are free to the public. Hailed 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 actively engaging, cultural and multifaceted community events including multicultural performances, guided cycling, tree talks and walks, poetry and photo contests benefit approximately 175,000 local, national and international participants for one month each spring.
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is when 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. 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.
We invite you to take part in Vancouver’s annual cherry blossom celebration: share bloom updates and your photographs with us on social media, participate in our community events, volunteer, or suggest a partnership for a new program. We look forward to sharing cherry blossom joy with more and more participants every spring.
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 event titles are protected trademarks of the Festival