Cherry Blossom Festival

Meghalaya enjoys a unique distinction of having cherry trees that bloom in the month of November. Cherry trees found in other countries usually bloom in spring during March-April. India’s 1stCherry Blossom Festival held from 14thto 17thNovember, 2016 at Shillong had made a mark as the First International Cherry Blossom Festival celebrated during Autumn and has placed Meghalaya on the global tourist map. The festival is organized jointly by Forests and Environment Department and Institute of Bio resources & Sustainable Development (IBSD).

Now there are cherry blossom festivals, in Washington DC, Macon, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand and parts of Korea, attracting millions of tourists in spring season. Meghalaya became the first in the World to have an autumn Cherry Blossom Festival based on the local cherry plants which bloom during November.

The Festival celebrated the flowering of Cherry blossoms in Shillong in autumn in contrast to flowering in spring that takes place all over the world. India’s first Cherry Blossom Festival 2016 was in sync with the Government of Meghalaya’s push for “Destination Meghalaya”. It helped to promote Shillong as a tourist destination with a unique feature of autumn blossoms which can help in developing the city as a holiday destination for tourists. The festival attracted a huge number of tourists from all over the world.
Attractions in the festivals includes rock concert, unplugged western music, dance performance from all over North east, beauty pageant, fashion shows, guided night walk under illuminated cherry blossoms, drawing painting storey telling competition for kids, stalls showcasing regions food, wine and crafts

Link- https://cherryblossomfestival.in

Cherry trees bloom at rLumjingshai Road