Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival: A Guide to New Jersey’s Springtime Spectacle
The Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival in New Jersey is one of the most beautiful and vibrant spring celebrations in the region. With over 5,000 cherry trees in bloom and 18 different varieties, this is the park in the US with the highest amount of cherry blossom!
The festival attracts thousands of visitors each year to witness the stunning pink and white blossoms, and it’s a perfect way to welcome the warmer months and embrace the beauty of nature in New Jersey. Whether you’re a local resident or a visitor, Branch Brook Park is a must during cherry blossom season.
In this guide we're going to share our personal experience at New Jersey's best cherry blossom festival, as well as share essential info about the event to help you prepare to attend this year.
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Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival: A Brief Intro
Before diving into the details of the cherry blossom festival in New Jersey, let's talk a bit about the beautiful Branch Brook Park!
🤩 Why is Branch Brook Park Famous?
Branch Brook Park is famous because it is home to the largest collection of cherry blossoms in the US! While all of the crowds flock to Washington DC, we have our very own cherry blossom paradise right here in New Jersey, and not too far from NYC!
❣️ Where Did the Cherry Trees in Branch Brook Park Come From?
The cherry trees in Branch Brook Park were a gift from Caroline Bamberger Fuld in 1927. Inspired by Washington, D.C.’s cherry blossoms, she donated over 2,000 trees, and today, the park boasts the largest collection of cherry blossoms in the U.S.
⏳ How Long Do the Cherry Blossoms Last in Branch Brook Park?
The cherry blossoms in Branch Brook Park typically last about two to three weeks, depending on the weather. Peak bloom usually occurs in mid-April, but factors like temperature and rainfall can affect their timing and duration.
There are also many different types of cherry blossoms, so in the beginning of the month you may start to see some that are coming into full bloom, while some others will be at their peak later in the month. Overall, you can enjoy cherry blossoms at Branch Brook Park for quite a few weeks, sometimes even up to a month!
🌸 How Large is Branch Brook Park?
Branch Brook Park spans 360 acres, making it the largest park in Newark, New Jersey. It stretches across Newark and Belleville, offering scenic walking paths, lakes, and thousands of cherry trees that bloom each spring.
📍 Where is Branch Brook Park Located?
Branch Brook Park is located in Newark, New Jersey, which is in Essex County, and a short ride from NYC.
The main events of the branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival happen at the main lawn (in the middle of the park) and Prudential Concert Grove (the south end of the park), which can be accessed most easily from the Clifton Avenue Entrance.
How to Get to Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival
Newark is one of the most accessible cities in New Jersey, and can easily be reached by train! Keep in mind there are two different train stations in Newark though, and you'll want to get off at Newark Penn Station, not Newark Liberty International Airport.
Newark Penn Station connects to almost all NJ Transit lines, and tickets can be purchased on the app or at the kiosk from your departure station.
🚆 How to Get to Branch Brook Park from the Train Station
Newark Penn Station is just 2 miles away from the southern end of Branch Brook Park. Here are the different ways you can get there:
- Walk to Branch Brook Park: It is a little under 40 minutes to the park itself, and another 10 minutes from the south end of the park to Prudential Concert Grove, where a lot of the main activities are held.
- Take Public Transportation: Hop on the NLR for 6 stops until the Park Avenue stop (about 8 min onboard). It is then a 5 minute walk to Prudential Concert Grove.
- Take an Uber: Rides are about 10 minutes, and is typically around $6-10.
There are also cherry blossoms scattered around outside of the park too!
🚗 Driving to Branch Brook Park
Driving to Branch Brook Park is easy! Parking can be difficult though, unless you go early. Inside the park there is free parking, and outside of the park you can find street parking, although it's a bit harder to find.
Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival: Prices + Dates/Times
Branch Brook Park is open year-round for visitors to go whenever they please free of charge.
The cherry blossom festival at Branch Brook Park though, does have specific dates and times for the special events happening.
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📆 When is Bloomfest 2025?
In 2024, Bloomfest was 2 consecutive weekends in the middle of April, and while you could go and see the cherry blossoms at any time, the events, food trucks, and music were there solely on those weekends.
As of now, the website states that Bloomfest will be on April 13, 2025 from 11:00am - 5:00pm. We will regularly update this article though in case anything changes.
💵 How Much is Branch Brook Park's Cherry Blossom Festival?
The festival is completely free of charge to enter! At the welcome center they do have special brochures and things for sale, and they accept donations. All proceeds go to the maintenance of the park, and helping fund these special activities that Branch Brook has.
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Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival Amenities
Before diving into all of the fun at the Branch Brook Park cherry blossom festival, let's go over some of the park amenities, so that you can properly prepare.
🌸 Branch Brook Visitor Center
The Branch Brook Visitor's Center is an excellent place to stop while visiting the park. It has all of the information about the cherry blossoms, as well as park maps, fans, and little souvenirs to get.
🚽 Bathrooms at Branch Brook Park
There are bathrooms in the main buildings of Branch Brook Park such as the welcome center and the environmental center. During the cherry blossom festival though, there are public restrooms and porta potties set up in the parking lots, and next to the lawn where the main events take place.
🍴 Food at Branch Brook Park
During the festival, there will be plenty of options for eating and drinking! You'll find over a dozen food trucks serving a variety of cuisines, and tables with chairs set up for people to eat at.
Outside of Bloomfest, Branch Brook Park does not have dining options, so if you want to spend the day exploring the park other days of the week, then we'd recommend bringing your own food and drinks.
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Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival: What to Expect
So, are you ready to enjoy the day in New Jersey’s pinkest park? The Branch Brook Park cherry blossom festival is packed with a schedule of events which include Japanese cultural demonstrations, children's activities, live music, a crafter's marketplace, food trucks and more!
All of the main events happen on the main lawn, which is in the middle of the park. You'll also find a lot of areas of the park that are particularly packed with people simply walking around and taking pictures, since the cherry blossoms are concentrated more so in other areas of Branch Brook Park.
Apart from the main lawn, the south park of the park has Prudential Concert Grove, which is where you'll find other activities, live music, and also a special trail that visitors can line up to go through and enjoy a concentrated walkway of trees.
We first enjoyed the north end of the park, which is closer to the visitor's center and goes into Belleville. This is where some of the prettiest cherry blossom trees are, and there are beautiful areas along the river to enjoy.
After that we went over to the main lawn to get food, check out the stalls, and hang out for a bit.
Later we moved on to the southern end of the park, where there are also a ton of trees and beautiful views along the lake.
Finishing off, we exited the park via the south and stopped at the beautiful Sacred Heart Cathedral! There are some pretty trees over there, and the cathedral will make you feel like you teleported to Europe. The trees in this area were the first to bloom, while other parts of the park had gotten to their peak bloom later.
We highly recommend getting to the park early so you can enjoy it without the crowds, and then staying for the various activities that they offer throughout the day.
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Rules & Safety at Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival
The cherry blossom festival at Branch Brook Park is a family-friendly event that invites people of all ages!
There aren't any crazy rules or safety hazards to be aware of, but we really want to emphasize that the trees need to be respected. We saw a lot of children pulling the petals off of the trees, and even a grown group of women who were hitting the trees so they could make a video of the petals falling on them.
The cherry blossoms are only there for a few weeks a year, and are an essential part of the park's beauty. Please respect nature, and do what you can to enjoy the cherry blossoms without destroying them.
We are PRETENDING to touch the cherry blossoms, but please do not touch or pull them!
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Other Things to Keep in Mind for Visiting Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival
Now you know almost everything you need for experiencing the Branch Brook Cherry Blossom Festival! But don't go just yet - we have a few more things to share with you.
☀️ Weather in Newark, NJ
The weather can be really tricky during cherry blossom season! Some days are warm and sunny, while others are super rainy and cold. We'd recommend checking the forecast, and also to keep an eye out in case the festival needs to get postpones due to the weather.
🕑 The Best Time to Go to Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival
The best time to get to Branch brook Park is early in the morning! This will allow you to easily find parking, and get photos of the trees before the park gets crowded.
The main events happen throughout the day though, so take your time enjoying all that the park has to offer, and check out the itinerary of events going on throughout the day.
Get to Branch Brook Park early to beat the crowds.
🎒 How to Prepare for Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival
Here are a few things we recommend bringing with you to the Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival:
We recommend bringing a blanket or your own chair.
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🤔 Is Branch Brook Park Cherry Blossom Festival Worth Going to?
We loved the Branch Brook Park cherry blossom festival, and found that it is fun for all ages! There is a ton of great food and stunning photo opportunities. It's an excellent place to spend the day and enjoy some of the great nature that New Jersey has to offer.
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We hope this guide has helped fill you in and inspired you to enjoy the incredible New Jersey cherry blossom festival. As a Jersey girl, I rarely write about this state, but we truly have a lot of fun things to offer!
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