2024 - 4th Annual Downtown Akron Sakura Festival Event (450+ Cherry Trees, Food, Sake, Music, Ikebana, Vendors, Craft Activities, Performers..)NEW

Downtown Akron Partnership (DAP) announces the Fourth Annual Downtown Akron Sakura Festival along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail on Saturday, April 6 from 3 to 9 p.m. This year’s celebration will build on the success of last year’s, which saw some 6,000 visitors enjoying traditional Japanese performances, music, art, activities, vendors and of course, more than 450 cherry blossom trees in bloom through downtown and Ohio & Erie Canal Park.

The 2024 footprint will include activations in the Lock 3 Commons, the Lock 3 ice rink area between the State St. bridge and Canal Park, Lock 2, the Towpath Trailhead at Spaghetti Warehouse, the Mustill Store and Williams Tower in Ohio & Erie Canal Park.

The festival will include performances, Japanese music, a festive story walk, crafts, local vendors offering bonsai and ikebana (flower arranging), several local food vendors, a bike ride and more. DAP will also host a photo contest on social media, with prizes awarded to the top three photographers chosen by guest judges. This family-friendly event is free and open to all. For a frequently updated schedule of the festival, and to apply to be a vendor, visit the DAP website.

Summary
• 450+ Cherry Blossom trees in bloom
• Food Vendors
• Crafts
• Japanese Performances
• Photo Contest


About Japanese Association of Northeast Ohio 
DAP will join the Japanese Association of Northeast Ohio (JANO), with help from the learners of NIHF STEM Middle School, in following the blossoms as they emerge, and will use social media to invite visitors to view their splendor throughout the brief bloom. Follow DAP on social media for updates on the blossoms. The exact blooming dates of the trees are difficult to predict and only last a handful of days, but the festival will take place April 6 regardless.

DAP Interim President Kimberly Beckett says, "The Towpath is a tremendous amenity to downtown and adjoining neighborhoods, and is even more spectacular during springtime, when it is alive with the pink-white blossoms of 450+ cherry blossom trees planted by JANO and the City of Akron. We are thrilled to hold the Sakura Festival for the fourth year in a row, which we anticipate to be bigger and better than ever thanks to the public's love for the trees, an expansive footprint, and large numbers of out-of-towners expected to be in the neighborhood for the solar eclipse."

Between 2011 and 2012, the City of Akron, with support from JANO, planted 472 cherry blossom trees along the Towpath Trail. Every spring, for a handful of days, the trees emerge with beautiful blooms, heralding the coming of spring downtown.

Date
April 6, 2024

Time
4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Click here the Festival Map

Festival Performance Schedule