Celebrate Japanese culture at the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (April) in San Francisco’s Japantown. Along with the colorful parade (April 21, 2013), you’ll find a food bazaar featuring traditional Japanese fare and cooking demonstrations, a Japanese traditional arts and crafts fair, the Queen’s Program (April 13), booths, and a children’s village.
Exhibits and demonstrations include ikebana (flower arranging), sumi-e (brush/ink painting), calligraphy, bonsai (tree dwarfing), origami, and doll-making. Entertainment stages will feature Japanese classical and folk dancers, martial artists, taiko drummers and others.
“Each year, more than 200,000 people flood the streets of Japantown for this event. The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival is said to be the second largest festival outside of Washington, D.C. to celebrate the blooming of cherry blossoms; and held at one of three remaining Japantowns in the United States.”
DEAL: The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival and Parade are free (nccbf.org).
WHEN: Festival: Saturday and Sunday, April 13 & 14, 20 & 21, 2013. Grand Parade: Saturday, April 21, 2013, 1pm – 3pm.
WHERE: Japantown (Post & Buchanan Streets), San Francisco; Grand Parade begins at San Francisco City Hall and ends at Post & Fillmore; Queen Pageant Sundance Kabuki 8 Theater, Japantown.
CHEAP TIP: Staying over? Find Hotel Deals in or near Japantown.
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