Cherry Blossom Festival: Here's Your Sakura Matsuri 2019 Guide

PROSPECT-LEFFERTS GARDENS, BROOKLYN — Cherry blossoms have already begun to bloom, which means that Sakura Matsuri, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's annual celebration of Japanese culture and bright pink flowers, is on its way.

The Cherry Blossom festival will bring dancers, drummers, artists and an estimated . 70,000 people to the Prospect Park gardens during the last weekend in April, according to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

The festival, first hosted at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 1982, embraces hanami, the ancient Japanese tradition of viewing the cherry blossom trees and celebrating the coming of spring.

Here's what you need to know, should you decide to go.

When is the festival?

Sakura Matsuri 2018 is slated for April 27 and April 28 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Do you need tickets?

Yes and they're for sale here on the Brooklyn Botanic Garden website.

Members can buy tickets in for free, but other adults will need to pay $30, students (with ID) can pay $12, seniors (also with ID) can pay $25, and kids under age 12, and with a ticket-holder, get in for free.

What to expect?

The blossoming cherry trees will not be the only attraction drawing crowds from across the city. There will be cosplay game shows, Samurai Sword Soul performances and multiple Japanese tea ceremonies and much more on the main stages over the weekend.

There will also be demonstrations and activities in the gardens. You can play Shogi chess in Osborne Garden, watch a giant origami demonstration in the Rotunda and nibble on traditional Japanese treats such as brightly colored dumplings called hanami dango and pink rice confections known as sakura mochi.

For more information about what's scheduled when and where, check out the complete Saturday agenda here and the complete Sunday agenda here.

How do I get there?

There are three entrances into the Brooklyn Botanic Garden each near its own subway line. The entrance 150 Eastern Parkway is closest to the Brooklyn Museum Station on the 2 and 3 line, the entrance at 455 Flatbush Ave. is a few blocks away from the B, Q, and shuttle at the Prospect Park stop, and the entrance at 990 Washington Ave. is near the Botanic Garden stop on the shuttle line.

Where can I find out more about Sakura Matsuri?

Check out this detailed history of cherry blossom viewing ceremonies, which traces back to the eighth century, on the Brooklyn Botanic Garden website. And if you'd like to explore other New York City spots with cherry trees in bloom, check out this map from the Japanese Embassy.