Fukui Cherry Blossom Festival
Saturday, March 21, 2026 – Sunday, April 5, 2026; Sunday, April 12, 2026
*The festival period has been extended based on the expected blooming dates. Please check the schedule before visiting, as there have been some changes to the event start times.
The History of Fukui’s Cherry Blossoms and Festivals
Following the Fukui Reconstruction Exposition held in 1952 (Showa 27), the Fukui Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Fukui City Tourism Association planted several thousand cherry tree saplings along the Asuwa River embankment the following year, in 1953 (Showa 28), giving rise to the beautiful cherry tree-lined avenue we see today.
In 1955, under the name "Fukui Cherry Blossom Festival," various events were held, including the lighting of lanterns along the Asuwa River and Mount Asuwa. Later, in 1986, the first "Echizen Period Procession" was held in grand style to celebrate the completion of the Tsukumo Bridge—built by the Sengoku-period warlord Shibata Katsuie—which spans the Asuwa River. The following year, in 1987, the “Fukui Cherry Blossom Festival” was renamed the “Fukui Spring Festival: Echizen Period Procession,” and it continues to this day as a festival that celebrates spring in Fukui and is participated in, enjoyed, and cherished by local residents.
From “Spring Festival” to “Cherry Blossom Festival”
Fukui is a land rich in history, culture, nature, and delicious cuisine. The Spring Festival has long served to convey the charm of Fukui. By further refining this event, which is filled with a spirit of hospitality, it is being reborn as a festival that attracts not only local residents but also many visitors from outside the prefecture. Featuring the “beautiful cherry blossoms” that symbolize spring in Fukui—including the “Cherry Blossoms along the Asuwa River and Asuwayama Park,” a source of pride for the citizens—as the festival’s symbol, we aim to create a festival of overwhelming beauty, enhanced by nighttime illuminations centered around the cherry blossoms. The “Fukui Spring Festival” became the “Fukui Cherry Blossom Festival” in 2018. Please come and enjoy the vibrant charm of Fukui, adorned with cherry blossoms, as you stroll through the city by day and by night.
*Please note that roads and parking lots will be extremely crowded during the festival.
Please check information on traffic restrictions in advance and use public transportation whenever possible.
Click here for event details, transportation information, and bloom status during the Fukui Cherry Blossom Festival
- Area
- Awara,Sakai,Fukui
Information
- Event Period
- Saturday, March 21, 2026 – Sunday, April 12, 2026
- Venue
- Outside the Asuwa River Cherry Blossom Avenue
- Telephone Number Details
- 0776-20-5346（Fukui Cherry Blossom Festival Executive Committee Secretariat (Fukui City Tourism Promotion Division)）
- Address (in Japanese)
- 福井県福井市
- Opening Hours
- Feel free to look around
- Prices
- Admission is free (parking at the Kagetsu Bridge Temporary Parking Lot is subject to a fee)
- Getting There
- ・To the Cherry Blossoms along the Asuwa River Illumination Site: Get off at JR Fukui Station and walk for about 10 minutes.
・To the temporary parking lot: About a 15-minute drive from the Fukui Interchange on the Hokuriku Expressway. - Car Park
- Yes
- Car Park: Available Spots
- 70 spaces (Kagetsu Bridge Temporary Parking Lot – paid)
300 spaces (Keirin Track Temporary Parking Lot – free) - Car Park Details
- Cherry Blossoms along the Asuwa River / Kagetsu Bridge Temporary Parking Lot (General vehicles: 1,000 yen)
- Website
- Notes
- ・Bringing, operating, or flying small unmanned aircraft (such as drones) along the Cherry Blossoms along the Asuwa River or at any other Cherry Blossom Festival venue is prohibited, as it may interfere with event operations or pose a danger to participants.
