Heralding the arrival of spring, the Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival in Stony Brook will showcase an abundance of Japanese culture, from origami to sumo wrestling, on Sunday, April 26.
Participants are invited to wear a kimono or dress as their favorite manga character to get in the spirit of the festival, which runs 12 to 5 p.m. at Charles B. Wang Center, part of Stony Brook University and located at 100 Circle Road.
General admission tickets are $30 but discounts are provided for senior citizens, students and children ages 6-12, while younger ones are free. Additionally, Asian Arts Culture Director Jinyoung Anna Jin said there are free activities as well.
The star of the show, of course, is the Sakura, aka cherry blossom, so bountiful at the center that it’s possibly second only to New York Botanical Gardens in the Tri-State Metropolitan area, according to Jin. “The center is surrounded by cherry blossom trees so by the end of April they are all in season. You will see flowers in bloom, and it’s a celebration of spring,” she said.
Grown an outreach program launched by RyuShuKan Japanese Arts Center more than 20 years ago, today’s festival has been known to draw 500 people from New York and surrounding states. Among its backers are Stony Brook’s Japan Center and Charles B. Wang Center.
“Anything you name for Japanese culture, we include it here, more than 50 presenters in all different mediums,” said Jin. “There’s so many activities happening on one day for five hours.”
Besides traditional Japanese dance, martial arts and taiko drumming, there are workshops on bonsai, ikebana flower arrangement, tea workshops and calligraphy. Audience involvement is encouraged, from the costumes to interactive Koto Play, encompassing gaming and music.
For more information or to sign up in advance, visit the website.