BUFFALO, N.Y. — Saturday was the first day of Buffalo’s weekend-long Cherry Blossom Festival, and the scenery couldn’t have been more picturesque. Canopies of pink and white made for the perfect backdrop to the triumphant return of this spring celebration…and finally getting a break from the snow didn’t hurt either.

“You can see that people are very excited to be back in nature, enjoying their neighbors and meeting new friends in the cherry blossoms,” said Paula Hinz, the festival's co-founder.

What You Need To Know

  • The first day of the weekend-long Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival began on April 30

  • The festival celebrated the cherry blossoms at peak bloom, as well as the 60th anniversary of the union of Buffalo, New York and Kanazawa, Japan as sister cities

  • The festival featured food trucks, boat rides on Mirror Lake, live music, vendors and indoor activities

While those famed blossoms are the main attraction, there’s so much more to see, hear and taste. The festival features food trucks, unique gifts and some activities inside the Buffalo History Museum, like Japan-themed trivia, bonsai exhibits, and lessons for origami and common Japanese phrases. There’s even live music in different areas throughout the Japanese Garden, courtesy of Music Is Art, to set the tone for the festivities.

“A lot of acoustic, singer-songwriter types, all local, from our local community here, performing on two different stages,” Music is Art founder Robby Takac. “Then we have some Japanese cultural stuff as well. We have a shamisen player playing, some Japanese dancers, and a taiko drum group. So it’s a little bit of everything here.”

There is as much to learn as there is to do, with the festival being not only an homage to spring, but also to Kanazawa, Buffalo’s sister city in Japan. This year marks the 60th anniversary of this union and through the decades, events like the Cherry Blossom Festival have shown just how much the merging of cultures has proven beneficial to Western New York.

“To have these beautiful trees, almost a hundred, in our very own Japanese garden,” Hinz said “And to have so many people here celebrating and enjoying them —wow. It’s a real tribute to our connection with Kanazawa, Japan.”

While most of the trees are in full bloom, Hinz said there may be some late bloomers, but those will be blossoming soon as well. This year's blooming season is expected to be somewhat shorter, about two weeks long.

Day two of the festival is Sunday, May 1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., concluding with a "pink parade" around the Japanese Garden.