Vancouver’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival has a lot of people “in the pink” celebrating the glory of nature at this time of year. The tenth annual event came a little early this year, perhaps due to the mild El Nino winter.
“I estimate at least 49 different cultivars to come into flower”
Linda Poole, founder and director of the festival, had the idea after living abroad and missing the annual renewal of spring in all its beauty. When she returned, the idea began to germinate, and after a few initial enquiries, Poole was amazed at how positively and quickly people responded.
ListenOver the decade, the enthusiasm grew and a busy arts and cultural component developed along with the blossoms. The festival is honoured this year by the Canadian Mint. A $15 coin (Cdn), with a pink rendering of one of the trees, is sold-out; all 6,500 of them!
Guided walks and bike tours are among some of the highlights of the experience. It’s an occastion to celebrate the 40,000 cherry trees planted in parks and along streets throughout the city. It all began during the 1930’s when Japan gave a gift of 500 cherry trees to Vancouver, and a new rite of spring took root.
This year, 1,000 more trees will be planted creating groves and canopies that will be enjoyed for years into the future. And the Blossom Barge, makes it a movable feast as the boat will take 40 trees in full bloom, in and around the waterways of Vancouver.
Other cities that share the passion and the good fortune to have the climate to support events around the Cherry Blossoms, are places as diverse as Tokyo, Hokkaido, Beijing, Copenhagen, Paris, Brooklyn, San Francisco, and Washington DC. In Washington they’re celebrating the 103rd anniversary of the event.
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