The payoff for living through Vancouver‘s damp gray winters comes in the spring, when flowers around the city burst into bloom.

And what better way to celebrate spring’s arrival than with the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival?

This flower-focused fest sponsors a variety of events around town, beginning this weekend (no sábado, Março 28) and continuing through April 24.

Entre os destaques:

Sob a árvore de cereja
Sábado, Março 28 e domingo, Março 29, 10 am to 5 pm, VanDusen Jardim Botânico
The festival’s opening event celebrates the blossoms as well as Japanese culture.

Cereja Jam Downtown
Terça-feira, Março 31, meio-dia às 1:30 pm, Estação de Skytrain Burrard
This free concert features the Cascade Brass Quintet with Blossom Brass, Chibi Taiko Ryukyu eo Yuaikai Taiko Grupo de Dança, os ritmos globais de Kutapira, a banda Ilha pop japonesa, and CBC’s Bill Richardson reading the winning haiku from the festival’s Haiku Invitational.

Bicicleta das Flores
Sábado, Abril 18 10 am to 4 pm, Inicia a partir da VanDusen Jardim Botânico parking lot
This food-focused cycle tour travels along prime cherry blossom viewing routes. You can also sample local food and meet area farmers at community centers along the way. Co-sponsored by Slow Food Vancouver, where you can get more information and also register online.

Palestras de árvores e caminhadas
Guided nature walks at area parks.

• Domingo, Abril 5, 1 para 2:30 pm, Queen Elizabeth Park
• Sexta-feira, Abril 10, 3 para 4:30 pm, Stanley Park
• Segunda-feira, Abril 13, 1 para 2:30 pm, UBC

And if you just want to explore Vancouver’s floral bounty on your own, check out the festival’s Cherry Blossom viewing map.

Foto por Alan Bruce (Flickr)