23rd Annual Cherry Blossom Festival at Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Prunus serrulata (Horinji)

Brooklyn, N.Y.?EUR??,,????'??+The Brooklyn Botanic Garden will celebrate the arrival of spring with the 23rd Annual Cherry Blossom Festival (called Sakura Matsuri) May 1-2, featuring more than 60 special events: musical and dance performances, demonstrations, workshops, Japanese animation screenings, exhibits, and guided tours, all honoring the cultural traditions of Japan.

Sakura Matsuri is a traditional Japanese festival that takes place during the brief period when cherry trees blossom. Japan has a legacy of flowering cherries dating back 12 centuries. The cherry blossom is a poignant symbol of life in bloom, the promise of spring, and the transience of the universe. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden?EUR??,,????'???s Sakura Matsuri will present more than 220 Japanese flowering cherries.

TV personality Yoshi Amao will emcee the weekend festivities at the Cherry Esplanade. New entertainment at the festival includes: Samurai Sword Spectacle performed by Samurai Sword Soul, a theatrical work that takes a historic and often humorous look at Japanese Samurai culture; Hanami Anime Festival; Japanese mime inspired by the Kabuki theatre; new painting and calligraphy from Japan; traditional dance; Shikendo swordsmanship; Taiko drumming; and Japanese imperial court music.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A detailed schedule of the festival is available by visiting Brooklyn Botanic Garden?EUR??,,????'???s website at www.bbg.org or by calling (718) 623-7333.

Founded in 1910, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is situated on 52 acres in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, home to over 10,000 types of plants and hosting more than 750,000 visitors annually.

Prunus (Accolade)