Descanso Gardens Cherry Blossom Festival

Descanso Gardens welcomes springtime with it's annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival is expanded to two weekends this year due to the overwhelming popularity of this event. Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5 and 11-12, 2017. Reservations must be made in advance for timed tickets that will go on sale to the public February 17 at descansogardens.org.

Japanese Garden © Photo Credit: Danielle Bedics-Arizala

This year’s celebration will feature entertainment, Japanese cuisine, origami and more. Activities include the following and are free with admission unless noted:

• Cherry Tree Sale. March 4 & 5 only, 10 am to 4pm. Shop early: These flowering trees sell out fast!
• Discovery Stations. All days, 10am to 4pm. Learn about cherry trees and related plants at these exploration tables.
• Cherry Blossom Walk. All days, 11am & 2pm. Take a guided walk with our experts and learn about cherry blossoms and other flowering trees.
• Origami. All days, 11am to 3pm. Try the traditional art of paper folding with help from experts.
• Camellia Lounge. All days, 10am to 4pm. Purchase Japanese-influenced cuisine, including tempura and sushi selections. Beverages and snacks in Japanese Garden tea house, full menu on main lawn.
• Performance by Minyo Station. Saturday, March 4, 11am, 1 pm & 3 pm. Minyo Station presents a jazzy style of Japanese folk music that blends Minyo, traditional Japanese music, with various genres of Western music.
• Performance by June Kuramoto. Sunday, March 5, 11am, 1 pm & 3 pm. June Kuramoto performs on the koto, the national instrument of Japan. A classically-trained musician, she is a founding member of the Japanese-American fusion ensemble “Hiroshima."
• Performance by On Ensemble. Saturday, March 11 & Sunday, March 12, 11am, 1 pm & 3 pm. On Ensemble (pronounced “Ohn”) is at the forefront of a growing artistic movement in the taiko (Japanese ensemble drumming) world. On Ensemble has made a name for itself by infusing the powerful rhythms of taiko with overtone singing, odd meter grooves and soaring melodies.

Descanso Gardens is open daily (closed Christmas) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults; $6 for seniors and students with a school I.D.; $4 for children 5 to 12, and free for ages 4 and younger.