2025 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival April 12-13 & 19-20

Debut Sutter street closure (12-13) to allow expansion of the festival during Peace Plaza Renovations

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, March 22, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The 58th annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (NCCBF) is coming back on the weekends of April 12-13 and April 19-20, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. We are honored to be one of California’s most prominent celebrations of Japanese and Japanese American culture, as well as the largest Cherry Blossom Festival in the West Coast. Based in one of three remaining Japantowns in the United States, our Festival symbolizes the arrival of spring and cherry blossoms in San Francisco.

Since 1968, the NCCBF has continued to showcase the vibrant colors and grace of Japanese and Japanese American culture, and to represent the diversity of San Francisco’s Japantown community. The Festival audience has grown considerably for the past 58 years, typically hosting more than 220,000 guests over the course of two weekends. The Festival helps to bring together local artists, non-profit food booths, cultural groups and performers to celebrate the arrival of spring in the City.

Due to renovations of the Japantown Peace Plaza this year, NCCBF is excited to debut an expansion of our Festival onto Sutter Street for the first weekend (April 12-13). This will allow more space for increased vendor and food booth space, as well as provide access to the main stage at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California.

Some of the programming Festival attendees can look forward to include:


April 12, 13, 19 and 20
- Local Art and Craft Vendors
- Non-Profit Food Bazaar
- Sapporo Beer Garden (must be age 21 and over)
- Community and Sponsor Information Booths
- Yukata Dressing Program (courtesy of KOHO Creative Hub 2nd Floor Japan Center East Mall)
- Live Musical and Cultural Performances (Webster Street Stage & Japanese Community Center of Northern California)
- Japanese Culture & Craft Exhibits (Japanese Community Center of Northern California, US Bank Community Room, East Mall, Nihonmachi Little Friends, Hokka Nichi Bei Kai)
- Children's Cherry Blossom Village, Kodomo no Sakura Machi (Post Street outside Kinokuniya Mall area) NOTE: Children’s Village is not open on Sunday, April 20


Sunday, April 20
- Senior Appreciation Brunch in Hotel Kabuki will thank seniors throughout the Northern California Japanese American community for their dedicated volunteer services and leadership.
- The 2025 Grand Parade will honor the Hibakusha (survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and their descendants as our Community Marshals, with the 80th anniversary being recognized this year.
-The Parade will begin at the Civic Center Plaza and proceed up Polk Street to Post Street, ending in Japantown at the corner of Post and Fillmore Streets.



The Festival encourages all attendees to enter the official Festival raffle, which goes directly into supporting our annual cultural programming. More information and tickets are available at the info booth located in KOHO - 2nd Floor of Japan Center East Mall and are $5.00 each or $20.00 for 5 tickets. The grand prize is a round-trip ticket to Japan courtesy of Japan Airlines.


We look forward to celebrating with all of our attendees!

Akiko Bates
Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
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