San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival 2026: Dates, Events, and Everything You Need to Know

Cherry Blossom Festival 2025

San Francisco’s Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival turns 59 this year, and it’s still one of the biggest Japanese cultural celebrations in the United States. More than 250,000 attendees are expected to descend on Japantown to eat, watch, and participate in something genuinely worth the trip.

The festival started in 1967, rooted in San Francisco’s Japanese American community as a way to celebrate spring and share Japanese cultural traditions with the broader city. The cherry blossom (or sakura) carries deep meaning in Japanese culture. Its brief, brilliant bloom is a reminder of impermanence, beauty, and renewal. Viewing season (called hanami) has been a Japanese tradition for over a thousand years.

It’s said to be the second-largest festival outside Washington, D.C., celebrating the blooming of cherry blossoms, and it’s held in one of the three remaining Japantowns in the United States.

The San Francisco festival brings that practice into an urban American context, and it does so with real substance. You’ll find taiko drum performances, traditional minyo folk dance, koto music, and a tea ceremony demonstration across both weekends. The food is the real deal too: fresh sushi, tempura, teriyaki. There’s also an annual Queen Program, martial arts demonstrations, and live bands.

Via KQED, “One major highlight: the return of the Kanda Mikoshi, carried for the first time since the pandemic. The portable shrine was gifted by Kanda Myojin, a historic shrine in Tokyo, said Akiko Bates, a spokesperson for the festival. Festivalgoers can also expect to see the iconic Taru Mikoshi shrine during the Grand Parade finale.”

One note for 2026: the Peace Plaza is closed for renovations, so the main stage has moved to Webster Street. The Grand Parade is the headline event, beginning at City Hall on Sunday, April 19, and concluding in Japantown. It’s a full procession through the city, and if you’ve never seen it, make a point to go.

Weekend 1: Saturday and Sunday, April 11-12, 2026
Weekend 2: Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19, 2026
Location: Post Street between Laguna and Fillmore Streets, Japantown
Grand Parade: Sunday, April 19, starting at City Hall and ending in Japantown
2026 schedule coming soon
Admission: Free to attend; individual ticketed events may vary
- Insider tip: It’s recommended that visitors use public transportation (MUNI has bus stops just blocks away) or car shares to get to the festival, as parking will be limited.
Sign up to volunteer (18+) and assist the logistics team. In addition, any supplies (such as gloves, brooms, and dust pans) essential to completing assigned duties will be provided at the information booth.