FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Buffalo, N.Y. – The Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival returns for its 6th year, May 1st to May 5th. The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, The Buffalo History Museum, Friends of the Japanese Garden, and Music is Art partner to host a celebration of the spring season and cherry blossoms with activities for all ages.
PR Contacts
Sarah Larkin, Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy | Sarah@bfloparks.org | 716.861.0716
Cheyenne Ketter-Franklin, The Buffalo History Museum | Cketterfranklin@buffalohistory.org | 716.873.9644 ext. 317
Cherry Blossoms at the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park
“If you thought our FLOmingos were pink last year, you need to come out for the colorful and exciting 6th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival,” said Stephanie Crockatt, Executive Director of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. “The Buffalo History Museum and Friends of the Japanese Garden have been vital partners in growing this experience by sharing in education and culture. The festival directly benefits the care of the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park which is an iconic visual feature Buffalo has come to treasure.”
“Our relationship to the beautiful Japanese Garden and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is of great importance to the Museum,” said Executive Director of The Buffalo History Museum, Melissa Brown. “We are excited to partner in hosting the 6th year of the Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival. The beauty of the blossoms, the vitality of the Japanese Garden and the enthusiasm participants bring while experiencing culture and history truly makes for a special weekend.”
“It amazes me to think back to 2013, the first time we decided to have a Cherry Blossom viewing picnic in the Japanese Garden. We had fewer than twenty people show up,” said Paula Hinz, Friends of the Japanese Garden. “Just six years later we have thousands of people enjoying the blossoms during the festival. In early April, volunteers met at the garden to help clean up winter debris. This year we reached out to McKinley High School to connect with their horticulture class. We’re thankful for their support this year as they’ll be volunteering at the festival as well.”
Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Mentholatum, and to the following generous supporters for making this festival possible (in alphabetical order): Arts Services Initiative of Western New York, AXA Advisors, Ito En, Lockhouse Distillery, Asian Pacific American Resource Group (APARG) at M&T Bank, Music is Art, The Buffalo History Museum, The Terrace at Delaware Park and Seneca Resorts & Casinos.
Events for the festival are as follows:
Festival Kickoff
Wednesday, May 1st | 5:00pm – 8:00pm
The Buffalo History Museum | One Museum Court, Buffalo, NY 14216
The 6th Annual Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival will kick off with a presentation about the Japanese Pavilion of the Pan-American Exposition, a kimono fashion show, and more. Free for all to attend.
Festival Fundraiser
Thursday, May 2nd | 5:30pm – 7:30pm
The Terrace at Delaware Park | 199 Lincoln Parkway, Buffalo, NY 14222
Ticket price: $70 per couple | $40 per individual
Featuring a Cherry Blossom Gin Tasting by Lockhouse Distillery, Hors d’oeuvres, Silent Auction and an Open Bar. Tickets can be purchased at bit.ly/buffaloblossoms2019
Festival Weekend
Saturday, May 4th – Sunday, May 5th | 11:00am – 3:00pm
Japanese Garden in Delaware Park and The Buffalo History Museum
One Museum Court, Buffalo, NY 14216
The festival will include several activities and events including musical performances, boat rides on Mirror Lake, Taiko drumming, crafts, vendors, Tai chi, and the annual pink parade.
For a full schedule, please visit: https://www.buffalocherryblossomfestival.org/
About the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is the first nonprofit organization in the nation to manage and operate an entire urban park system consisting of more than 850 acres of beautifully designed historic parks, parkways and circles. The Conservancy is an independent not-for-profit, community organization whose mission is to promote, preserve, restore, enhance, and maintain the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks and parkways in the Greater Buffalo area for current and future generations. More than 2.5 million visits occur in Buffalo’s Olmsted Park system annually for recreation, relaxation and rejuvenation. Designed by America’s first landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted more than 150 years ago, it’s our nation’s first urban park system. Since the 2004 groundbreaking public-private partnership between the Conservancy, City of Buffalo and Erie County, the Conservancy has held responsibility for the management and care of these nationally registered historic green spaces and continues today to assist the City in bringing recognition to its collective renaissance. Most recently, the American Planning Association recognized Delaware Park as one of the 2014 Great Places in America, The Guardian publication named Buffalo’s Olmsted park system as one of the best park systems in the world, and in 2018 the Conservancy set a Guinness World Record in historic Bidwell Parkway. www.bfloparks.org
The Buffalo Olmsted Park System includes:
Six parks: Cazenovia Park in South Buffalo, Delaware Park in Delaware/Parkside District, Front Park at the Peace Bridge, Martin Luther King, Jr. Park at Fillmore Avenue, Riverside Park at Niagara and Tonawanda Street, and South Park at McKinley Parkway
Seven parkways: Bidwell, Chapin, Lincoln, McKinley, Porter, Red Jacket, and Richmond
Eight landscaped traffic circles: Agassiz, Colonial, Ferry, Gates, McClellan, McKinley, Soldiers, and Symphony
About The Buffalo History Museum
The Buffalo History Museum has been Western New York’s premier historical organization since 1862. We are the keepers of the authentic stories that make our community unique. Their collections, exhibits and programs tell the stories of the people, events, and movements that demonstrate Western New York’s essential place in shaping American history.
The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society (doing business as The Buffalo History Museum) is a private not-for-profit organization tax exempt under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We receive operating support from the County of Erie, the City of Buffalo, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and from donors, members and friends. The Buffalo History Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Learn more: www.buffalohistory.org
About Friends of the Japanese Garden
The Buffalo Cherry Blossom Festival is organized in collaboration with the Friends of the Japanese Garden, a volunteer organization that supports Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy’s goal of caring for the Japanese Garden in Delaware Park. All net proceeds raised from the Festival are used to preserve and enhance the special nature of this garden.
