Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival

By Rachel Cooper

Washington, DC Expert, about.com

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The Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival is a major event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. It is the biggest Japanese street party in the nation. The festival stretches six blocks and includes Japanese performances on three stages and over 200 martial artists demonstrating their skills throughout the day. Other participants include 25 Japanese and Asian restaurants, 30 interactive cultural exhibits and 35 vendors selling Japanese products.

The Japanese Culinary Arts Pavilion returns this year with Japanese cooking demonstrations and tastings throughout the day, with chef Rika Yukimasa, star of their cooking show Dining with the Chef.

Date and Time

April 16, 2016. The street festival begins immediately following the Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival and runs from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.[post_ads_2]

Japanese Street Festival Location

New location this year! The Sakura Matsuri will be moved to the Capitol Riverfront neighborhood at M Street and New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington DC.

This is located near Nationals Park, the baseball stadium for the Washington Nationals.

Transportation[post_ads_2]

The best way to get to the festival is by public transportation. The closest Metro station is Navy Yard-Ballpark. For more information about getting to the festival, see Cherry Blossom Festival Transportation Guide

Admission

$10.00 per Adult. Children ages 12 and under are free. Purchase tickets in advance online  and avoid the lines.

Performers Participating in the Sakura Matsuri

• mascot of NHK World, DOMO-kun
• Kanadete sorou, Japanese rock band 
• Tamagawa University Dance and Taiko Group
• Yoshino Bien Calligraphy Performance with Traditional Kagura 
• fox dancers Yoshiwara Kitsune Shachu 

and more

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week, city-wide event featuring more than 200 international cultural performances and over 90 other special events. See the schedule of the National Cherry Blossom events