Spring is in full swing and the cherry blossom trees in town are showing off. There’s nothing like the snowfall-like cascade of petals to truly signal spring’s arrival. With peak bloom in full effect, The Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival will be happening in Newark’s Branch Brook Park again for 2024 in just a few days. Read on to learn more about the events happening in Essex County for this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival.
The Details + Events
The 48th annual festival will take place at its usual in-person location — Branch Brook Park in Newark. Family-friendly events will run from April 6th to April 14th, making this over a week of cherry blossom fun. There will be over 5,300 cherry blossoms in 18 varieties to gaze at, per the Branch Brook Park Alliance. Branch Brook Park is also home to the newly-opened Cherry Blossom Welcome Center — read all about it in our article here.
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As for specific events, they are as follows:
April 6th — Cherry Blossom Challenge Bike Race
These races will run from 7AM-1PM, and will be held at Essex County Branch Brook Park, Northern Division Oval, Heller Parkway in Newark. The races are free for the public to watch, while race participants must register.
April 7th — Cherry Blossom 10K Run
This run is from 10AM-12PM, and will start at the Cherry Blossom Center at Branch Brook Park in Newark. All run finishers will receive a Cherry Blossom Run medal and t-shirt, and a part of each registration fee will be donated to the Special Olympics of New Jersey. You can sign up here.
April 13th — Essex County One-Mile Fun Run
This event is from 10AM-11AM, and is catered to young students. As the prequel to the Essex County Family Day, the run will go through Branch Brook Park. It is free of charge, and all paperwork and permission slips can be found here.
April 13th — Essex County Family Day
Family day will run from 11AM-3PM at Essex County Branch Brook Park, Concert Grove, Southern Division, Park Street Entrance in Newark. Visitors can explore using paddle boats, construct a craft, get their face painted, grab food from one of many vendors, jump in a bouncy house, and climb a rock wall at this free-of-charge event. Main stage entertainment is yet to be announced.
April 14th — Bloomfest
The final event of the 2024 festival will be held at Essex County Branch Brook Park, Oval, Northern Division, Newark + Prudential Concert Grove, Clifton Avenue Entrance in Newark from 11AM-5PM. This free family day includes multiple events like Japanese cultural demonstrations, children’s activities, live music, a crafter’s marketplace, food, and more.
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Every Wednesday in April — Cherry Blossom Talks
The Cherry Blossom Talks will take place on Thursdays and Saturdays in April, and are 30-minute discussions with one of Branch Brook Park’s knowledgeable archivists. Topics include the history of the Branch Brook Park trees, the types of trees that have been used, how the trees have been incorporated into the landscape, and some exploration behind their meaning. These events will be held at the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center, Extension Division.
Keep up with Essex County Parks and the 2024 Cherry Blossom Festival online, on Facebook, and the Bloomwatch Webcam to see live footage of the trees from Branch Brook Park.
