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Full bloom: Brooklyn Botanic Garden celebrates cherry blossom season with cultural performances

Full bloom: Brooklyn Botanic Garden celebrates cherry blossom season with cultural performances
Photo by Caroline Ourso

Brooklyn celebrated all things Japanese at Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s annual cherry blossom festival last weekend.

The world-class horticultural museum’s smorgasbord of cultural events celebrated the brief, but extraordinarily vibrant bloom that graces its 26 species of cherry trees, which lasts only a few weeks in March through April every year.

Performances included a high-octane fusion of traditional taiko drumming and martial arts courtesy of Taiko Masala, an elegant Kabuki Bayo dance performance, samurai sword exhibitions, anime- and video game-inspired jazz, and various other musical acts with an eastern twist.

The garden’s beloved cherry blossom festival wouldn’t be complete without a zany cast of cos-playing ticket holders, who donned historic Japanese garb, along with less traditional costumes, including Jon Rios’s fantastic Deadpool, and Emma Salder’s magical unicorn.

Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4505.
Put on a show: Pinky Doodle Poodle performed for the crowd.
Photo by Caroline Ourso