Photos: Cherry Blossoms In Peak Bloom For BBG's Sakura Matsuri

The cherry blossoms really came to party over the weekend at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s annual Sakura Matsuri festival, with almost every tree along Cheery Esplanade exploding in full, glorious bloom. Thousands of people roamed the grounds taking millions (probably!) of photos in the pink-hued landscape.

In addition to all of the floral splendor—the tulips near the Conservatory were spectacular as as well—Sakura Matsuri also makes for excellent cosplay watching, though that aspect of the festival was notably muted this year. There was no big cosplay fashion show, as there has been in previous years. Due to ongoing construction at the BBG, organizers said they were unsure whether there would be a stage large enough to accommodate the fashion-show crowd, usually the biggest of the weekend. Still, there were plenty of wonderfully creative cosplay outfits to admire around the grounds.

Other popular entertainments included several thunderous taiko drumming performances, traditional Minbu dances, and contemporary Japanese bands like Pinky Doodle Poodle, the Molice, and Lust. Lots of food, beer, canned rosé, and commerce at the Japanese-themed Marketplace and Artist Village rounded out the Sakura Matsuri offerings. If you missed it, you can still catch the head over there to catch the blossom action—just check the map here before you head over.