A friend who recently moved here asked me earlier this week about the Cherry Blossom Festival taking place in Waimea today.
My reaction was that of someone who uses Saturday morning to run errands in town: it’s a nuisance because it snarls traffic and makes finding a convenient parking place nearly impossible.
I realized later that that was a bit too narrow a view and emailed her a link to an article in the West Hawaii News: https://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2018/02/04/hawaii-news/cherry-blossom-festival-puts-nature-heritage-on-display/
The cherry blossoms are beautiful, and there are many cultural activities on offer as well as opportunties to purchase items from street vendors. You can easily make a full day of it, by visiting the Parker School farmers market, where Elite Pacific Properties hosts a tent, as well as the Pukalani Stables market and the one at the charter school.
The Waimea Cherry Blossom Festival is well organized, with plenty of parking and crossing guards where needed. I can just about guarantee everyone will find something delicious to eat and learn something new about the history of Waimea.
So, by all means, take a day and come to Waimea! Discover a little of what this wonderful place has to offer.
A hui hou!
It can get very crowded, and some parking areas are converted to retail stalls for the festival, so parking is at a premium. There is a soccer field just East of the North Hawaii Community Hospital that is dedicated to parking for the event. There are traffic guards in attendance. That’s probably your best bet.
Bring layers, including something rain proof! It can vary from hot and sunny to cold and rainy from one hour to the next. Bring comfortable shoes, too, since the festival is spread out over a large area.
The Festival dominates the town of Waimea, but coming or going, you can stop at one of the many beautiful beaches along the Kohala Coast.