The 2022 Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival made headlines this year as thousands flooded through the gates of the Auburn Botanic Gardens to view the sea of blossoming pink flowers.
Close to 70,000 residents and visitors travelled far and wide from all parts of Australia, including Perth, Tasmania and Queensland, to see the beautiful cherry blossom trees which are in season for only two weeks of the year.
Held over nine days from Saturday 20 August to Sunday 28 August, the festival welcomed patrons as they wandered through the Japanese Gardens, enjoyed the serenity of the reflection pool and were fascinated by the resident peacocks and geese.
Many enjoyed the Japanese Food Village with the great range of food and treats from a selection of food truck vendors and the 9-hole putt putt course. Crowd favourite Hello Kitty was also a great hit.
Festivalgoer and local resident Christina, who attended with her family, appreciated the crowd limitations in the cherry viewing area.
“This is the third time that we have visited the festival and each time the cherry blossoms have been bigger and more beautiful.” “Crowd control this year was an excellent idea. It gave us room to walk around and take good photos without so many people getting in the way.” “The food was amazing and we absolutely loved the mini golf course, where it snowed on us.” she said.
Cumberland City Council’s Supervisor of Recreational Assets and lead horticulturalist Paul Clark said that patrons were very happy that the festival was back this year with the blossoms in full bloom.
“The star of the festival was of course the main cherry trail area, and feedback from patrons was great as they told us how impressed they were by the quality of the gardens and how much they loved the blooms.” “All blossom areas bloomed at once this year so it was a great experience for the visitors.” “This year’s festival was scaled back to include capacity limits and a smaller production but patrons definitely enjoyed the extra space within the Japanese garden.” he said.
Cumberland City Mayor Lisa Lake said Council was very pleased to see so many people enjoy the event.
“The Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival is a very important cultural event for our community and greater Sydney. A big thank you to everyone who came out to the gardens and supported the event. It was lovely to see such a great turnout and so many people enjoying our local attractions in Cumberland.” she said.
