The Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival in Branch Brook Park is from April 5-13, with peak bloom anticipated between the second and third weeks of April, according to the Branch Brook Park Alliance. Parking is free and available throughout the park.
Since the weather can factor into when the trees blossom, the 24/7 Bloom Watch can show people in real time how the buds are doing and if the latest peak bloom forecast has changed.
Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees
The Japanese Cherry Blossom or Sakura, is a species native to Japan, Korea, and China. Branch Brook Park, the nation’s first county park, is located in the North Ward of Newark, between the neighborhoods of Forest Hill and Roseville. The northern third of the park extends into the Township of Belleville, including the area known as “Cherry Blossom Land.”
Cherry Blossom trees were originally gifted to the park by Caroline Bamberger Fuld, the sister of department store magnate Louis Bamberger and widow of Felix Fuld. In 1926, she donated 2,050 trees in memory of her husband.
There are about 5,300 Cherry Blossom trees in 18 different varieties in the park, the biggest and most varied in the country.
Cherry Blossom Festival in Branch Brook Park
The festival kicks off with the Cherry Blossom Challenge Bike Race on April 5 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Oval in the Northern Division of the park.
The Cherry Blossom 10K Run is April 6, from 10 a.m. to noon, starting at the Cherry Blossom Welcome Center in the Extension Division, Newark.
Essex County Family Day takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 12 at Concert Grove, Southern Division, Park Street Entrance, Newark.
Essex County One-Mile Fun Run/Walk from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on April 12.
Bloomfest! is on April 13 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring live music, crafters, activities for children, and Japanese cultural demonstrations, at both the Oval and Concert Grove locations. See the schedule on the Bloomfest page.
Branch Brook Park is 360 acres and is listed on both the New Jersey (1980) and National (1981) Registers of Historic Places.
Where Else to See Cherry Blossoms in New Jersey
🌸 Warinanco Park, Elizabeth
🌸 New Jersey Botanical Garden, Ringwood
🌸 Verona Park, Verona
🌸 Hurd Park, Dover
🌸 Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morris Township
Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC
While smaller, more crowded (an estimated 1.5 million tourists visit DC during festival time), and no free parking, the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC are peak right about now, according to Bloom Watch DC. The festival, however, runs for a month, with discounts, deals, and special merch centered around cherry blossom trees.
The nation’s capital has approximately 3,800 cherry blossom trees on the National Mall and around the Tidal Basin, the man-made reservoir bordered by the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial.