Biking Beneath the Cherry Blossoms in Vancouver

There is an obsession in Vancouver when it comes to Cherry Blossoms. Beginning in March, sometimes even February, the flowering cherry trees stir and come back to life with vibrant displays of pink, fuscia and white flowers, blocking out the sky with impossible colours and contrast after a grey winter. Blooming signals the start of longer days, summer vibes and, as in Japan and increasingly culturally embedded locally, a day spent viewing the blossoms, picnicing beneath a tree in bloom or cycling under a pink canopy, is a modern Spring Rite.

The Velopalooza-sponsored Bike the Blossoms event brought out about 500 people – families with bakfiets, unicyclists as tall as the blooms, groups of friends young and old – for a leisurely, slow ride along the most spectacular blossom-loving streets in East Van. There are more than 30,000 ornamental cherry trees in Vancouver’s ‘street tree urban forest’ plus thousands more magnolia, plum and crab apple throughout the city. At this time of year, you can’t miss ’em! Visit the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival website for more info on viewing locations, events and the history of our flowering trees. Below are a few quick snaps from the saddle during the Bike the Blossoms ride.