Top 5 Event Highlights Scheduled for the 2017 Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

March 28, 2017
CL
By Carrie Leslie
5 min read

After this dark, wet and unexpectedly snowy winter, cherry blossoms are one of the first cheerful signs of the fast approaching spring season. Unlike last year’s early bloom, the stars of the 2017 Cherry Blossom Festival should be arriving on time at the beginning of April.

Vancouver’s signature springtime event wakes the city up from winter hibernation with an explosion of around 41,000 blossoming cherry trees around the city. April marks the month of the blossom and will features over 20 public, mostly free, arts and cultural community events. So stuff your winter coat into the back of the closet and get out your camera because the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is here again!

While there are several events to choose from (check out the full list on the VCBF website), below is a list of a few of the highlight events for this year’s cherry blossom festival.

Cherry Jam Downtown Concert

The Cherry Blossom Festival in Vancouver starts off with a BANG! (literally) as performers take the stage under blooming pink trees at the Cherry Jam Downtown Concert. This event features live performances by Uzume Taiko: a professional taiko drumming group, Son De Maple: a Vancouver-based band playing Mexican Son Jarocho and other Latin music idioms, and the Lions Gate Sinfonia Orchestra.

Date: March 30, 2017
Time: noon – 1:30 pm
Location: Burrard Skytrain station, 635 Burrard Street

cherry blossoms vancouver 2016

Image courtesy of Ann Hung | Inside Vancouver Flickr Pool

The Big Picnic

Vancouver’s largest spring picnic takes place under Queen Elizabeth Park’s iconic cherry blossom canopy. The exact date of this event is still undecided and will be solidified when the bloom is in full force. The Big Picnic includes an interconnecting “petal mat” seating in one of the city’s most beautiful park settings. The picnic wouldn’t be complete without some live music and dance, so you’ll be happy to know that there will be entertainment from both French musicians and Bollywood dancing stars. A cultural mix that shouldn’t be missed!

Date: TBA, depending on blossoms
Time: TBA
Location: Queen Elizabeth Park @ W 33rd Ave and Cambie

Sakura Days Japan Fair

The VanDusen Botanical Garden will host the Sakura Days Japan Fair for a weekend of tea ceremonies, culinary demonstrations, Japanese food, guided Tree Talks and Walks, and haiku readings. Aside from all the sights, you’re also invited to experience hands-on workshops and try your hand at calligraphy, origami and other Japanese arts and crafts demonstrations. On Saturday night, a mesmerizing lantern parade will cap off the first night of the Japan Fair at 6:30pm.

Date: Saturday, April 8 – Sunday, April 9
Time: 11:00am – 7:00pm (Saturday), 11:00am – 5:00pm (Sunday)
Location:VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5251 Oak Street at 37th

Photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik

Spring Lights Illumination

For two evenings at Queen Elizabeth Park, the cherry blossom trees will be lit up with vibrant projections and multicoloured lanterns created by Hfour experiential studio. The illumination will be set up for unobstructed views ideal for photography and picnicking in the spring evening air under cherry blossoms. Best of all, the event is free! Part of the Canada 150 celebration event, Spring Lights is an inter-arts collaboration and presentation of local artists using the transcendent experience of a cherry blossom backdrop to communicate themes of time, ephemerality, and beauty.

Date: TBA, depending on blossoms
Time: TBA
Location: Queen Elizabeth Park @ W 33rd Ave and Cambie

Photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik

Bike the Blossoms

This annual event guides cyclists throughout some of the best cherry blossom viewing in the city. Bike the Blossoms traditionally begins at Trout Lake and winds its way around East Vancouver and Mount Pleasant at a pleasant pace to allow for ample viewing time of the cherry blossoms. Each year, this family-friendly event continues to grow, with an estimated 450 people pedalling underneath the foliage along the city’s many bikeways.

Date: Saturday, April 29
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Meet at the South Side of John Hendry Park (Trout Lake) at E 19th Avenue, close to Lakewood Drive

While we wait for the cherry blossoms to do their thing and for the blue skies and warmer weather to appear, you can also view a map of the status of the famous trees in Vancouver. The website, http://maps.vcbf.ca/map was launched by the Vancouver Park Board, and includes the addresses of over 2,100 cherry trees in Metro Vancouver. “Festival favourite” locations (aka the most photogenic sites) are marked by red pins, while others are marked by blue ones.

Where is your favourite place to take pictures of the cherry blossoms in Vancouver? Let us know in the comment section below!

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