This year the 42nd International Cherry Blossom Festival will take place from Friday, March 15th and going through March 24th. There are estimated to be more than 300,000 Yoshino cherry trees that will hopefully be in bloom. 

The beautiful pink blooms that are present some years (but not in 2023) have led the festival to be given the nickname of the Pinkest Party on Earth.

The following is a list of some of the events taking place this year that are officially connected to this International Cherry Blossom Festival.

On Saturday, March 2nd and Saturday, March 9th from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. there will be a Cherry Blossom Car Painting event at Acme Center (1979 Riverside Drive) where you can have anything pink painted on your car starting at $10. There will also be Cherry Blossom Bows and Girl Scout Cookies for sale at this event. The Cherry Blossom Car Painting may be canceled in case of inclement weather.

UPDATED 3/14: On March 15th starting at 3 p.m., the Pink Provisions Preview Party will now take place at Macon Terminal Station located at 200 Cherry Street. This year there will be a new outdoor food and drink festival where attendees can taste all the pink-themed food and drinks that will be available along the Pink Provisions Trail, which was introduced last year. There will be food and drinks from restaurants like Sophia's on Second, Circa, Satterfields, Liliana's, and twelve other local eateries. Tickets to the Pink Provision Preview Party are $1 each and can be purchased at this link, and there are special incentives for bulk ticket purchases.

Graphic courtesy of the Cherry Blossom Festival

There will be many other special events that take place on multiple days throughout the festival at Carolyn Crayton Park including:

• Sarah Twister will be shooting arrows using only her feet while also entertaining the crowds with "comedy and contortion". She will perform on weekdays at 1, 3, and 5, Saturdays at 11 a.m., 1, 3:30, and 6 p.m., and Sundays at 12, 2:30, and 5 p.m.
• The Sea Lion Splash is an interactive sea lion show that will take place on weekdays at 2, 4, and 6 p.m., Saturdays at 12, 2, 4:30, and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 1, 3:30, and 6 p.m.
• The Nerveless Nocks involves a large metal cage and some daring motorcyclists who will speed around the inside of the round cage. This show will take place on weekdays at 1:30, 3:30, and 5:30 p.m., Saturdays at 11:30, 1:30, 4, and 6:30 p.m., Sundays at 12:30, 3, and 5:30 p.m.
• The Ready Go Dog Show will involve "professional frisbee dog entertainment" where furry canines do tricks and catch far-flung frisbees. These shows will take place on weekdays from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m., on Saturdays at 12:30, 2:30, and 5 p.m., and on Sundays at 1:30, 4, and 6 p.m. at Carolyn Crayton Park
• The Human Cannonball, David "The Bullet" Smith, Jr., will be flying through the air after being shot dramatically from a huge cannon. The show times on weekdays are 4:30 and 8 p.m., Saturdays 3, 5:30, and 8 p.m., and Sundays 2, 4:30, and 8 p.m.
• The Cherry Blossom Ball will take place on Friday, March 15th including a dinner from The Grand Gourmet, décor by Mary Pinson, a live musical performance from Robert McDuffie, and entertainment by the Atlanta Groove Factory. The Cherry Blossom Festival will take place on the first day of the festival from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Macon City Auditorium. This black-tie optional event's tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased at this link: tables seat 8 people.
• On March 16th from 7:00 to 10:30 a.m. the Macon-Bibb Fire Department Pink Pancake Breakfast will take place at Luther Williams Stadium (located on Willie Glover Drive in Carolyn Crayton Park). This yearly event involves the Macon-Bibb Fire Department teaming up with the Macon Bacon baseball team to serve Cherry Blossom-themed breakfast items (think pink pancakes, sausage, and bacon). Tickets to the Pink Pancake Breakfast cost $7 for adults and $3 for children 3 and under with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.
• The Macon North Rotary 5K Trail Race will take place at Arrowhead Park at Lake Tobesofkee on Saturday, March 16th starting at 8:30 a.m. Registration before the race costs $30 or $35 on the day of the race: you can register at this link.
• Nightly Concert Series: Different musical performances will take place throughout the festival at Carolyn Crayton Park from 7 to 8:30 p.m. including from the following live musical acts: 
  • Friday, March 15th Demun Jones (country musician from Jones County)
  • Saturday, March 16th Parmalee (country music)
  • Sunday, March 17th Cash's Juke Joint
  • Monday, March 18th DJ BlakJak
  • Thursday, March 21st AJ the DJ
  • Friday, March 22nd Blanco Brown featuring the Ying Yang Twins
  • Saturday, March 23rd Bryce Leatherwood (winner of The Voice season 22)
  • Sunday, March 24th Ernest (country singer-songwriter) 

Visitors to Carolyn Crayton Park can enjoy the musical performances for the cost of entry into the festival.

The Festival Finale will take place at Carolyn Crayton Park from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, March 24th with a fireworks show from Pyro Productions, Inc.

Many Cherry Blossom Festival events take place outside of Carolyn Crayton Park including:

Every weekday during the festival from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Third Street Park will host special events with free pink donuts, ice cream, and Coca-Cola products, as well as live music.

The Ocmulgee Lantern Light Tours is a family-friendly event that takes place at the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. The tours include a nighttime stroll through the park with a lantern in hand and interpretive talks from actors dressed up as historical figures. The tours will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will start every 10 minutes afterward with the last tour starting at 9 p.m. Tickets to the Ocmulgee Lantern Light Tours cost $7 and can purchased at this link.

On Saturday, March 16th the Wiener Dog Race will take place on Cherry Street from 12 to 1 p.m. This hilarious race involves furry daschunds racing against each other (and sometimes running anywhere but where their owners want them to run) for the chance to be the top dog. 

The crowds on Cherry Street are usually very large during the Weiner Dog races (Photographer Nate Weeks)

Another unique race that takes place on Saturday, March 16th is the Bed Race where teams face off against each other and push one participant who lays on a bed with wheels down Cherry Street from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Admission to the 42nd Cherry Blossom Festival events taking place at Carolyn Crayton Park will cost $10 per day for those 11 years and older and free for children 10 years of age and under. Ride tickets will cost $20 on Mondays through Fridays and $25 on Saturdays and Sundays.

The festival will take place in Carolyn Crayton Park on Mondays through Fridays from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., and on Sunday, March 19th from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m., and on Sunday, March 26th (the last day of the festival) from 12 p.m. until 9 p.m.

The fun isn't over even after the last day of the Cherry Blossom Festival: the popular Cherry Blossom Road Race 5K and Cheer Mile will take place on Saturday, April 13th. Tickets cost $30 for the 5K and $25 for the Cheer Mile or Virtual/Snooze option through April 1st and $35 or $30/$25 from April 2nd to the day of the race. Register for the Cherry Blossom Road Race at this link.

Visit the official website of the festival to read more about the many activities taking place this year.