Ready for Spring? Nashville Celebrates Annual Cherry Blossom Festival

I don't know about y'all, but this burst of nice weather has me ready for Spring now! I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Surely we will bounce back to cooler temperatures before we see flowers bloom and hear the Robins make their comeback, but I found a really cool event if you are like me and need something to look forward to.

My friend Katie who lives in Nashville shared with me that there is an annual Cherry Blossom Festival that takes place in Public Square Park. It is free, open to the public, no tickets required, and held rain or shine.

Named "Tennessee's premiere Japanese cultural festival with music and dance performances, cultural and martial arts demonstrations, and plenty of art, anime merch, and food vendors."

Cherry trees or Sakura are an important symbol in Japanese culture and are considered the national flower of Japan. In association with the festival, Cherry Trees have been planted all over Nashville and the event itself coincides with prime blooming time which is usually between the beginning of March and the end of April.  You can find a map of the trees that have been planted here to enjoy a nice walk among the gorgeous pale pink flowering beauties. There are over a thousand of them now in Nashville parks and neighborhoods.

Some of the festival highlights include vendors selling cherry blossom and Japanese-inspired art, crafts, baked goods, and clothing, as well as food trucks, tons of kids activities, live entertainment with traditional martial arts displays, various dance teams both classic and modern, and their website shows photos of fire breathers and acrobatic circus acts. That looks exciting!

Something I think looks super fun is the Sumo Suit Wrestling.  You can put on a big fluffy Sumo wrestler suit and challenge a friend to a match.

Check the Nashville Cherry Blossom Facebook page or website for information about the event, cosplay guidelines, parking tips, and more and mark your calendar for April 13th, 2024 from 9:30 AM to 5 PM. Here's a fun look at last year's festival.