The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival‘s Sakura Days Japan Fair showcases Japanese food and cultural activities at VanDusen Botanical Garden in April.
The Sakura Days Japan Fair takes place on the Saturday and Sunday of April 12th and 13th in 2025. The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, meanwhile, includes this and other events that happen between late March and late April.
If you like flowers, other events you’ll likely want to see in the spring are the Harrison Tulip Festival and Abbotsford Tulip Festival. Both of those are amazing and feature millions of multi-coloured flowers. There is also the Sweet Spring Flower Festival at Greendale Acres in Chilliwack. This third event features far fewer flowers, but is still very pretty. It also has an incredible amount of kid-friendly activities.
This article contains the following information about the Sakura Days Japan Fair:
Video | Admission | Other Information
Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival at VanDusen Garden in 2025
At the event there is usually traditional Japanese music and live performances, as well as a tea ceremony, woodworking demonstrations and more. There is also lots of traditional Japanese festival-style food including okonomiyaki (a kind of savory cabbage pancake), yakisoba (fried noodles) and other tasty treats.
If you plan to visit VanDusen Garden in the spring, go during the Sakura Days Japan Fair. You won’t be disappointed. The garden is still usually about a month away from its beautiful best, but the Japanese activities and entertainment are definitely worth seeing. And when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the place is very pretty.
It’s hard to predict when the cherry blossoms will be at their peak at VanDusen garden. Some years they are fully in bloom during the Sakura Days Japan Fair and other years they aren’t. It’s a bit of a hit and miss and depends on the weather each season.
Sakura Days Japan Fair Video
For an idea of what to expect at the event, check out the following video. It shows scenes of the Sakura Days Japan Fair from a couple of years ago.
Sakura Days Admission
The cost for the Sakura Days Japan Fair depends on how far in advance you buy your tickets. In 2025 online ticket prices for the public are the following:
- Adults: $20 to $26
- Seniors (ages 65+): $16 to $21
- Children: (ages 5-12): $8 to $11
- Little Kids: (ages 0-4): Free
Prices for the Sakura Days event are not a lot more than regular admission at VanDusen Garden, so it’s not unreasonable, especially if you like Japanese culture.
Note: Admission rates and other details are subject to change.

Other Information
Click Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival for other cherry tree-related events taking place in April (including the Big Picnic and Bike the Blossoms).
For the festival’s official website, visit vcbf.ca.
For ideas on other things to do in the Lower Mainland, check out the following:
- Vancouver’s April Calendar
- Free Vancouver Events in April
- Festivals & Events Calendar
- Vancouver’s Top Attractions
- Spring Activities in Vancouver
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Powell Street Japanese Fair
- Nikkei Matsuri (a Japanese festival in late summer)
- Nikkei Museum and Cultural Centre
- VanDusen Botanical Garden
- Nitobe Japanese Memorial Garden
- Vancouver’s ExplorASIAN Festival (in May)
- Harvest Days – an autumn-themed event at VanDusen Garden in October