By Maisha Hasan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Burlington Local-News.ca
On Saturday, May 10, 2025, Burlington hosted its annual Sakura Festival at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC) to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the twinning agreement between Burlington and its twin city, Itabashi, Japan.
The festival not only celebrates the relationship between Itabashi and Burlington, but also the Japanese tradition of hanami, or flower viewing; every year, people flock to Spencer Smith Park to see the avenue of sakura (cherry blossom) trees in full bloom. Burlington’s cherry blossom trees were themselves a gift from Itabashi.
The event began with a heartfelt speech by Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, who noted that the city “raised the Itabashi flag at City Hall and [Burlington] will light the Burlington Pier pink for the cherry blossoms.”
Meed Ward visited Itabashi last fall as part of the Burlington twin city delegation, which meets every five years, to further build upon their valued friendship. This event, she believed, was more than that: it represented an “investment in democracy and peace across people,” Meed Ward said.
“The [global] conflicts…are a constant reminder of the need to build these various relationships across oceans and cultures and people,” said Meed Ward.
Afterwards, Consul General of Japan Matsunaga Takeshi followed with his own sentiments. “Our friendship between Canada and Japan are similarly in safe hands…I really appreciate the vibrant friendship between Burlington and Itabashi,” he stated.
A performance by Burlington’s Dokon Daiko Japanese drumming group followed the remarks by Meed Ward and Takeshi, along with other traditional Japanese dance performances and demonstrations of karate, aikido, and iaido, the last of which is a martial art focused on the quick drawing of swords.
Beyond the stations of face paint and glitter for kids were artworks done in exchange with the elementary school children at Frontenac Public School and Fujimidai Public School.
Elementary school children from Frontenac Public School exchanged artwork with their Japanese counterparts.
Students from Itabashi’s Fujimidai Public School participated in the artwork exchange, with their art being displayed at BPAC.
Lizzie Torelli, an attendee of this event, spoke about why she attended the Sakura Festival event. “I think everyone goes to see the cherry blossoms but doesn’t really acknowledge or find out the history behind it, so I thought it would be pretty cool to see the performances and everything.”
When asked about her favourite part, she answered: “Seeing everyone together…the kids singing and [the performers] showing their work is a nice feeling, especially with this weather!”
For more information on the involvement of this event and more like this in the near future, visit the BPAC website.
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