Cherry Blossom Festival continues to find PFW campus a great place to cultivate growth

When Fort Wayne’s Cherry Blossom Festival outgrew its downtown location three years ago, the event moved to the campus of Purdue University Fort Wayne. Even with 600 acres to play with, ensuring elbow room is still a consideration.

Last year, more than 12,000 people participated in the six-hour event celebrating Japanese culture. Most of the activities radiated out from Walb Student Union to various other locations in the middle of campus. On Sunday, the 2025 event will stretch even further to accommodate more bodies, booths, and vendors, this time edging toward Gates Sports Center.

The festival runs from noon to 6 p.m., and admission is free. PFW serves as a community partner. Everything starts with Fort Wayne Taiko, a program of the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, playing its big drum to call spectators into the International Ballroom at Walb for the opening ceremony.

“I mean, you just feel it, the vibrations in your chest,” said Glen Nakata, PFW’s vice chancellor for financial and administrative affairs. Nakata is also a board member of the Cherry Blossom Festival and emcee for the larger events.

“I think we’ll continue to see more opportunities to expand and bring new things to the festival,” Nakata said. “That’s going to be very important and a real tipping point for the festival to do more as word of mouth gets out there telling how much fun it is to be at the festival.”

The majority of last year’s crowd was younger, though often accompanied by adults, including PFW faculty and staff who brought their children. A costume contest on the skybridge connecting Helmke Library and Walb Student Union is a big draw, but so are anime, haiku, karaoke, crafts, games, performances, and plenty of food. There will be more merchandise and food vendors this year, Nakata said, after last year’s positive experience.

Several PFW student organizations will participate, including the Japanese Club, which will present the game Kingyo-sukui, or goldfish scooping. The game uses a small paddle with a thin piece of paper as a net. Players use the paddle to scoop their goldfish from the water before the net breaks. The festival uses bouncy balls instead of real goldfish, but contestants get the general idea. Last year, more than 200 people tried their luck to earn a prize.

“Members of the Japanese Club are honored to host a booth and meet more of the community outside PFW,” said Bella Escobar, club president. “Since the Cherry Blossom Festival found its home at PFW, we have acted as ambassadors of PFW, priding ourselves in expressing student conduct, community engagement, and interest in international cultures.”

The annual event has been part of Fort Wayne since 2007, with its roots dating back to the 1980s.