Think pink: Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival draws a crowd

Big Islanders and visitors from near and far ascended upon Waimea Satutday for the Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival.

Windy conditions and cold temperatures in the North Hawaii town couldn’t keep the crowds away from plethora of activities sprawled across Waimea incuding live entertainment, foods, ceremonies, taiko drumming and more.

Saturday marked the 30th running of the iconic event that had been canceled in 2021 and 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ornamental trees typically bloom in late January and early February following a good winter’s chill and ample rainfall. Celebrating the season’s first bloom dates to eighth century Japan when aristocrats would enjoy the blossoms while writing poetry. “Hanami,” literally “flower look,” is the Japanese word for “cherry blossom viewing party.”

Waimea’s first cherry trees arrived in 1953 as a memorial to Fred Makino, who founded Japanese language newspaper Hawaii Hochi in 1912. Three ornamental cherry trees were distributed, one of which was propagated, and 20 of its saplings were later donated to the Waimea Lions Club to be planted along Church Row Park in 1972. In 1975, the organization planted 50 more trees in commemoration of the first Japanese immigrants to settle the Waimea area a century earlier. Over the years, additional trees have been planted.