The 2026 Ageo Cherry Blossom festival will be on in Ageo Maruyama Park only. Until 2023 it also comprised events at the Ageo Culture Center, but since 2024. Ageo City has dozens of beautiful cherry blossom spots though, but few are as beautiful as Ageo Maruyama Park. And since last year it has a new playground. The photo below is of the old playground, but it has been replaced this year. In fact, the new playground only opened to the public in 2024. I can’t wait to get a photo of the new playground with cherry blossoms in the background!
Ageo Cherry Blossom Festival
The Ageo Maruyama park is a beautiful and very popular park in rural Ageo, near Enomoto Farm and on the border of Okegawa City. It is quite a large park with several attractions including two playgrounds, a wading river that is open all year round and even a small free zoo. There are approximately 350 cherry blossom trees in the park. Varieties include Somei Yoshino and weeping cherries. But even before either of them bloom, the park has a section of kawazuzakura that bloom around early March.
In 2026, the festival is scheduled to take place between Tuesday March 24th and Wednesday April 8th. On the Saturdays and Sundays during that period there will be festival stalls at Ageo Maruyama Park. There are plenty of places where you can picnic under the park’s mature cherry blossoms.
The Bunka (Culture) Center is not part of the 2026 Ageo Cherry Blossom Festival, but there are some beautiful somei yoshino cherry blossoms lining the river’s embankment and rapeseed grow along the riverbank:
Ageo Cherry Blossom Festival Information
Event: Ageo Cherry Blossom Festival 上尾さくらまつり
Dates: from Tuesday March 24th to Wednesday April 8th with the weekends being the main dates: Saturday March 28th and Sunday March 29th, Saturday April 4th and Sunday April 5th 2026.
Time: from 10 am to 4 pm
Cost: there is no admission fee.
Venue: Ageo Maruyama Park, 3326 Hirakata, Ageo, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. View on Google Maps.
For future reference, in case the bunka center is re-added to the festival in the future! Ageo Bunka Center, 750 Futatsumiya, Ageo, Saitama 362-0017. View on Google Maps.
Access
Maruyama Park – From the west exit of the JR Ageo Station you can get the Hirakata – Maruyama “Gurutto-kun” loop bus, Hirakata Maruyama course「平方丸山公園線」bound for the rehabilitation center 「リハビリセンター行き」. Alight at Maruyama Park or the Nature Learning Center. The Nature Learning Center is at the Northern tip of the park. Free parking available. More information on Maruyama Park, regarded as one of the best parks in the Kanto region;
I’m leaving the information for the Ageo Bunka Center too, in case its of use to anyone and / or the location is re-added to the festival in the future! The Ageo Bunka Center is about a 15 minute walk from the east exit of JR Takasaki Line’s Ageo Station.
Editor’s note: The Ageo Cherry Blossom Post was temporarily off the site in 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic. In 2023, the post was moved from the events archives to the main section of the website. Unless stated otherwise, all photos are my own and copyright of insaitama.com
tis ALMOST the season!