Cherry blossom in the Netherlands 2027 when and where

Hanami and sakura: what the blossom means

In Japan, hanami ("flower viewing") is an outing to see the cherry trees in bloom, with food and drink under the branches. Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom; its short bloom stands for passing beauty, spring and renewal.

In the Netherlands one of the best known places for it is the Bloesempark in the Amsterdamse Bos, a park of Japanese cherry trees.

When does the cherry blossom flower?

The Japanese cherry in the Bloesempark usually starts to flower in the middle or at the end of March, and a bloom lasts about two to three weeks, usually in March and April. Calm weather can stretch it; wind and rain shorten it. The park posts updates on its website and on Facebook and Instagram, so look there before you go.

The lit-up Cherry Blossom Food & Light Festival in Amsterdam falls earlier, on Friday 5, Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 March 2027, before the usual bloom.

Where can you see the blossom?

The Bloesempark lies in the Amsterdamse Bos, on Amstelveen's ground. In 2000 the Japan Women's Club gave 400 cherry trees to Amstelveen, and each tree has a name: half Japanese and half Dutch women's names. The park came out of an idea from 1992 and marked 400 years of Dutch-Japanese relations. In May rhododendrons bloom around the cherries.

The Japanese Garden at Clingendael in The Hague also has flowering cherry trees, next to azaleas and rhododendrons; it is open only some weeks a year and reopens at the end of April 2027. In Almere the Kersenbloesemfeest of Stichting Regenboogbuurt has been held every year since 2019, free, on a weekend in March or April when the trees are in full bloom; the date is announced shortly before. The Wereldmuseum Leiden held a hanami day on Sunday 22 March 2026 with a food market, music, workshops and lectures; a 2027 edition is not announced.

The Bloesempark is being renewed

The current trees are about 35 years old and need replacing; the park says about 80 percent are in poor condition. The renewal runs from the end of 2025 to the spring of 2029. The park expects the old trees to bloom in the spring of 2027 and 2028, though some trees may die before then, so fewer may be in bloom. After the 2028 bloom all trees are removed at once, new trees of about ten years old are planted in the autumn of 2028 and the renewed park is expected to bloom for the first time in the spring of 2029.

How do you visit without the crowds?

Come on a weekday if you can; at weekends the park is full, and by the park's own count more than 20,000 people come on peak days. The park is thinking about measures to manage the flow.

Keep at least one metre from the trunks, do not hang on or pull the branches and do not climb the trees. Dogs stay on a lead and picnics are fine. Cycling or public transport is the park's advice.