Don't Forget: Brooklyn's Sakura Matsui Cherry Blossom Festival Is This Weekend

Photo by Liz Ligon/BBG.

This Saturday and Sunday marks the unofficial — and belated — start to springtime in Brooklyn: the Sakura Matsui Cherry Blossom Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG)!

The festivities run from 10am-6pm on both Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26, and just keep getting better every year, with more and more creative activities added each time. This year, there a Cosplay Fashion Show (people dressing up in Japanese culture-related costumes), Taiko drumming, Manga drawing, samurai sword fighting, tea ceremonies, Bonsai workshops for kids, Kabuki Buyo dancing, kimono displays, a fashion show from BBG’s Parasol Society, comedy shows, chess games, and more.

A full schedule of events can be found on BBG’s website. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students, and free for children under age 12.

If you do go, remember to get there early and plan to stay there for a while as the place is almost always mobbed every year. Also, bring refillable water bottles to stay hydrated as the weather should be lovely this weekend!