Sakura Sunday

Many thanks to all who came to Fairmount Park on Sunday the 13th for the main event of our festival. An estimated 20,000 people attended, exceeding our expectations twofold and making it the most successful Sakura Sunday in the history of the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival.

Flanked by sakura in full bloom, the Tamagawa Taiko drummers' first performance called guests to the stage for the opening ceremony, which included remarks from Mayor Nutter, the Honorary Consul General of Japan in Philadelphia Dennis Morikawa, Tom Doll of Subaru, and Jiro Okuyama from Consulate General of Japan in New York, and ended with a tree planting ceremony. Japan's Cherry Blossom Queen was in attendance and assisted the Mayor in pouring sake on the newly planted sakura.

Crowds swelled quickly, wandering about among the cherry blossom trees in peak blossom, perusing the tents of souvenir shops and food vendors, and settling around the main stage to soak in the extraordinary performances throughout the day. The dance and drum performances by Tamagawa literally provided the rhythm and energy of the event, their always impressive display appealing to the senses of all festival attendees alike, while demonstrations of martial arts, ikebana, swordsmanship, calligraphy, origami and tea ceremony drew more specialized attention to different areas of the Horticulture Center.

The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia is pleased to have put together an event so widely enjoyed by the Greater Philadelphia region. Attendance numbers were much higher than anticipated -- we apologize to those inconvenienced by shortages of shuttle buses, food, and bathrooms, and acknowledge these as areas for improvement in next year's event.

Among the nation's cherry blossom festivals, Philadelphia's has been identified as one of the largest and fastest growing. We extend our greatest thanks to all who attended it's centerpiece event and contributed to the growth of Philadelphia's eminent celebration of springtime.