Cherry Blossom Festival

A sure sign of spring’s arrival is the blooming of Red Wing Park’s signature cherry blossom trees. Take in their beauty at the annual Cherry Blossom Festival Saturday, April 2 at Red Wing Park (1398 General Booth Blvd.) from 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. 

The festival showcases the rich culture of Japan with music, martial arts, crafts, vendors and demonstrations, plus tea samples at the Azumaya, a traditional Japanese tea garden or pavilion. A full list of performances and demonstrations can be found on the festival website at VBgov.com/CherryBlossom​.  

Admission and parking is free, and food and drinks are available for purchase. Festival goers are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair for the performances. 

Modeled after the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., the Virginia Beach Cherry Blossom Festival held at Red Wing Park celebrates the friendship between Japan and the United States. Since the early 1980s, the City of Virginia Beach and Miyazaki City, Japan, have enjoyed many fruitful grass-roots exchanges, which led them to become Sister Cities in 1992.

The festival is sponsored by Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation, the Sister Cities Association of Virginia Beach, the Japan Education Culture Center Inc., and supported by the Virginia Beach Koto Society, Old Dominion University Martial Arts program, and Virginia Beach City Public Schools Japanese programs and clubs. 

For more information about the Cherry Blossom Festival, along with other upcoming Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation spring events, visit VBgov.com/SpecialEvents​. ​​​​