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Cherry Jam Photos Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

Cherry Jam Downtown Concert

The 12th annual Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off today with a noon-hour concert at the Burrard skytrain station in Vancouver.

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Tetsu Taiko started the show, accompanied by Alcvin Ramos. The performance was amazing, very high in energy.

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The performance was followed by an original collaboration of Chinese er-hu player Ji Rong Huang with a tap dancer.

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The Cherry Jam concert host read the 2017 Haiku Invitational winning poems including:

the gasp
before the sigh . . .
cherry blossoms

Terri L. French
Huntsville, Alabama

VCBF Haiku Invitational 2017 Winner (United States)

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Kathryn Nicholson lead the Sound Eclectic Vocal Ensemble. The choir performed “Cherry Blossoms For You & Me!” a new song inspired by a haiku by poet laureate Oz Hershfield created especially for the Vancouver Sings One Song event. I’m sure we’ll have the chance to hear it again during the festival and sing it together.

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At the end of the concert, VCBF Director Linda Poole invited people to check the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival website for more information about the many activities (big picnic, tree talks and walks, Sakura illuminations, etc.) and wished everybody a good festival.

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It was a quite a rainy day in Vancouver.  Luckily, the exhibitors tables were in a covered area.

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Due to the rain, it was pretty quiet under the canopy.  Where you would usually find dozens of photographers and a crowd of people admiring cherry blossoms, there were only a few people hanging under the cherry trees.

Burrar skytrain station blossoms

The reason there were so few people under the canopy was clear when you got closer. Turns out half the pathway was flooded. The petals were floating in four inches of water!

Burrard canopy Burrard floating blossoms

For those who were not afraid to brave the rain today, the blossoms were there.

Burrar skytrain station blossoms wet petal

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival will take place from April 3-29, 2018. Check vcbf.ca for information about the festival activities. Happy Cherry Blossom Viewing!

Burrar skytrain station blossoms

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Photos

Cherry Buds at Burrard Skytrain

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At Burrard Skytrain, the Akebono cherry trees are full of buds.

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You’ll find some isolated branches with cherry blossoms.

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However, it’s mostly cherry buds for now.

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The buds are giving the trees a nice pink hue.

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It’s a great time to have a look at cherry buds to see how cherry blossoms grow.  In this picture,  two flowers are coming out of one bud.

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These cherry blossoms are not afraid of the rain, neither should you be.

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The cherry trees will be in full bloom at the Burrard Skytrain Station in a couple of weeks, just in time for our Cherry Jam on April 3rd! Don’t miss it!

Cherry Jam will showcase performances by the Yayoi Movement Theatre, Folk artist Michael Averill, 2013 Haiku Invitational celebrity readings and Haiku Bard by Christopher Gaze of Bard on the Beach, an energetic dance performance by VanCity Soran and the thunderous sounds of Richmond’s Tetsu Taiko to warm up the scenes of Cherry Jam.

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Haiku Photos

As I expected

As I expected, / Storm, and rain, -- / At the time of cherry blossoms.  -- Shinkei.


As I expected, / Storm, and rain, — / At the time of cherry blossoms.  — Shinkei.


Submit your cherry blossom haiku to the VCBF haiku Invitational.