Hanami visitors can begin with Brooklyn Botanic Garden's online CherryWatch feature to plan visits to the Garden, where they can stroll under a canopy of flowering cherries, view enchanting wall-size murals and expressive oil paintings of cherry trees in the exhibit Cherry Blossom Visions: Works by Charles Gustina and David Wander, and celebrate the 27th annual Sakura Matsuri (Saturday, May 3–Sunday, May 4, 2008). Sakura Matsuri is BBG's two-day festival celebrating the striking beauty of the Garden's cherry trees and their magnificent blossoms with a weekend of Japanese culture, arts, and performances for all ages. As Hanami draws to its seasonal conclusion, visitors will revel in an experience traditionally thought to bring good fortune, when cherry blossoms cascade from the trees to create a petal carpet.

With over 220 trees of 42 different kinds, Brooklyn Botanic Garden's flowering cherry collection is unmatched outside Japan in the number and variety of cherry trees in one place. From the delicate weeping higan cherry trees that loosen petals into the water at the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, to the honey-scented blossoms of the Taki-Nioi, to the stately double-flowering kanzan trees that fill Cherry Esplanade with pink blossom "clouds," the Garden's diverse collection of flowering cherries delights and inspires awe each spring. In Japanese culture, the fleeting cherry blossom (sakura) is a poignant symbol of life in bloom, the arrival of spring, and the ephemeral brilliance of nature. In this spirit, visitors experience the wonder of the beloved cherry blossom and become immersed in the rich culture of Japan, where the legacy of flowering cherries dates back twelve centuries.

For more than 25 years, tens of thousands of visitors have participated in Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Sakura Matsuri. They experience the breathtaking beauty of the fleeting cherry blossoms and learn about Japanese culture. The festival has evolved into one of the city's most anticipated weekend events and is truly New York City's rite of spring. The 27th annual Sakura Matsuri will feature a dynamic weekend of music and dance performances, workshops, demonstrations, exhibits, and guided tours, all honoring traditional Japanese culture. -- www.bbg.org