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Cherry Blossom Festival is a much beloved festival that attracts over 150,000 visitors. The Festival‘s first event usually is the Cherry Blossom Queen Pageant. At this gala event, the Queen is selected based upon character personality, poise, self-presentation, communication ability, and intellect. During her reign, the Queen represents the Northern California Japanese American community at other Japanese American events in the United States and visits Japan.
It is followed by a Grand Parade at San Francisco City Hall and ends at Post & Fillmore, with over 1,500 brightly colored costumed participants including: mikoshi (portable shrines), kimonoed dancers, traditional musicians, the Cherry Blossom Queen and her court, and marching bands. Japanese classical (Buyo) and folk dance (Minyo) groups representing the Bay Area perform throughout the parade route like a myriad of floating butterflies.
Highly honored Boy Scout Troops from the Japanese American communities will march proudly along the streets. Streams of colorful floats will be carrying young women representing Japanese American and other Asian communities. World renowned San Francisco Taiko Dojo will keep the parade upbeat with the thundering sound of the taiko, and this year‘s and this year‘s Queen and her Court will cascade their way to Japantown.
The Street Fair includes a food bazaar, featuring traditional Japanese cuisine and cooking demonstrations, a Japanese traditional arts and crafts fair, and a children‘s village. Entertainment stages feature performances by Japanese classical and folk dancers, martial artists, taiko drummers and others. Companies sponsor a high profile street fair area, a street fair booth, one of two entertainment stages or a combination of these.
Location: Japantown
When: March or April
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