The Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation will host the annual Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival, a celebration of Japanese culture, from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 2. The event will be held in Bank of the Ozarks Arena, located in the Hot Springs Convention Center at 134 Convention Boulevard. Originally called the Hot Springs Cherry Blossom Festival, this event was renamed in 2022 to the Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival as it attracted participants from across the state. This sixth annual family-friendly event will be free to attend and has something for all ages.

The 2023 festival will again feature cultural demonstrations, exhibits, and musical performances including taiko drums. Japanese lectures and workshops for those wanting a more hands-on experience will also be available. A variety of traditional Japanese carnival games as well as an anime cosplay contest is planned. Prizes for the Second Annual Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku competition will be awarded with winners invited to read their haiku at the event.

Origami Sake, Hot Springs’ own sake brewery, will be featured and also lead the “Sake Experience” workshop. Aitoh Specialty Paper, the US’s largest importer of Japanese paper products, which relocated to Hot Springs in 2022, will also be featured at the event. Japan based companies from across the state have been invited to participate by exhibiting items made in Arkansas to highlight the importance of these companies to our Arkansas economy.