Get in the Mood for Spring with Downtown Akron's Cherry Blossoms

It’s finally springtime. The chilling drabness of Ohio’s most recent winter is behind us—hopefully—and making way for warmer temperatures, morning sunshine, cleansing rainstorms, sprouting tree buds, and of course, flowers. We love seeing the crocuses pop, giving way to hyacinths, daffodils, tulips, and eventually, lilacs, but you can probably guess our favorite thing about spring is the 472 cherry blossom trees (sakura) that open their blooms in a spectacularly dreamy canopy over the Towpath Trail through downtown Akron. 

If you don’t know what we’re talking about, keep scrolling, and be sure to come downtown while the trees are blooming this year (we’re talking sometime in the next few weeks, people!). They were planted in 2011 and 2012 by the Japanese Association of Northeast Ohio and the city of Akron. And while enjoying hanami with friends and family at your leisure is highly recommended, you won’t want to miss the Downtown Akron Sakura Festival, either, happening next Saturday, April 15, from 4 to 8 p.m. 

As part of the festivities, we’ll be bringing back our extremely popular photo contest with the goal of filling Instagram with cherry blossoms. Keep an eye on our social media to know when the contest begins and ends, but basically, all you’ll have to do is visit the Towpath in downtown Akron and capture the beauty of the cherry blossoms with your best photograph. Bonus points if your photo incorporates the blossoms and a recognizable part of the downtown Akron landscape. To enter, you’ll need to post your best shot (or shots—the more the merrier!) to Instagram and tag us. The contest will be judged by two downtown art experts, and there will be prizes for the top three photographers.

Okay, now, some delightful photos from last year to give you an idea of what’s to come. We’ve even sprinkled in some haikus written by students from NIHF STEM Middle School. They’re pretty sweet.

Learn more about the 2023 Downtown Akron Sakura Festival.