This Weekend: Cherry Blossom Parade, Union Street Easter Festival and More
N Judah Bus Substitution Reminder: In support of the Inner Sunset Streetscape Improvement Project, a Muni Forward initiative for transit, infrastructure and safety improvements, the N Judah Bus will substitute N Judah train service starting Saturday, April 13 and lasting for two weeks.
Events: This weekend has a full schedule of events around the city. The second and final weekend of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday with its Grand Parade occurring on the latter day. The Mission Crit bike race returns to the Mission on Saturday as well. Sunday will have tons of entertainment options as there will be the 28th annual the annual Union Street Spring Celebration, a non-denominational Mt. Davidson Easter Sunrise Service, an Earth Day celebration will take place in the Mission and Ghirardelli Square will also have its own special Easter-themed festival. Read more about our featured events below.
Traditional Japanese drums in the 2014 Cherry Blossom Parade. Photo: Tehani Schroeder/Flickr
Cherry Blossom Parade and Festival
Saturday and Sunday, various times
Japantown
This is the second weekend of the annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, one of California’s most prominent celebrations of Asian traditions. Over 220,000 people are expected to attend this event showcasing the color and grace of the Japanese culture and the diversity of the Japanese American Community. The celebrations will culminate in the Grand Parade on Sunday. Follow the parade of colorful floats, marching bands, dancers and more as it proceeds up Polk Street before turning onto Post and toward Japantown.
How to Get There on Muni: To get close to the Civic Center start of the parade, riders may take any Muni Metro Line to the Civic Center stop, the F Market and Wharves Line, as well as the 5 Fulton, 6 Haight/Parnassus, 7 Haight/Noriega, 9 San Bruno, 14 Mission/14R Mission Rapid, 19 Polk, 21 Hayes or 76X Marin Headlands Express routes. To reach the area of Japantown where the parade will conclude, riders may take the 2 Clement, 3 Jackson, 22 Fillmore, or the 38 Geary/38R Geary Rapid routes.
Muni Service Notes: The 2, 3, 19 and 76X will see reroutes in the area of the event. Service in the area may experience higher than usual ridership and minor delays.
Union Street Spring Celebration and Easter Parade
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Marina
The Union Street Spring Celebration is a family-friendly event that takes place annually on Easter Sunday on Union Street between Gough and Fillmore streets. This free event features activities for kids, including rides, games, photos with the Easter Bunny and more. There will also be gourmet food and entertainment provided by local musicians. The parade down the main Union Street corridor starts at 2 p.m.
How to Get There on Muni: Riders may take the 22 Fillmore, 28 19th Avenue, 30 Stockton, 43 Masonic, 45 Union/Stockton or the 76X Marin Headlands Express routes to near the event.
Muni Service Notes: The 45 route will have a reroute during this event and all routes in the area may experience minor delays due to increased ridership and pedestrian activity.
Remember that you can take Muni for the entire day for a single $5 fare. The new $5 Day Pass, available on MuniMobile®, is part of Muni’s recent fare changes. The pass is intended to encourage a safe, convenient way to pay your fare and quickly board Muni vehicles, which reduces overall travel time for everyone. The $5 Day Pass is Muni bus, rail and historic streetcars only.
“On Tap” gives you a heads up about the big events in town and what Muni routes and lines will get you to the party. Look for this feature to be posted usually on Thursdays for a look ahead to the weekend. Check out our Weekend Traffic & Transit Advisory for more details.