The Cherry Blossom Festival

This celebration of spring commemorates the planting of 72 Yoshino Japanese Cherry Blossom trees in 1973 by the New Haven Historic Commission in collaboration with the New Haven Parks Department and residents of the neighborhood. It has grown from a modest event with a local band entertaining a handful of neighbors under lighted trees to a major New Haven all-afternoon event that draws well over 10,000 visitors.

Cherry Blossom Fun Facts:
- Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) has been a Japanese custom since the 7th century when the aristocrats enjoyed looking at beautiful sakura (cherry trees) and wrote poems.
- Sakura is a symbol of Japan, and it’s said that there are over 400 varieties of cherry trees in Japan. The most popular kind of sakura which can be viewed everywhere in Japan is somei-yoshino (Yedoensis).
- Unlike other varieties of cherry tree, Japanese cherry trees do not yield fruit.