The is a flower festival held annually in Hiroshima, Japan.
Overview The Hiroshima Flower Festival has been held every year since 1977 during Golden Week, from 3 May to 5 May. More than one million people take part in the festival each year.
The festival includes multiple stages for entertainment, shops, a small zoo, and other amusement attractions along Peace Boulevard and in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Many concerts, dancing shows, fashion shows, talk shows, and traditional and contemporary performances featuring local citizens and other events are held throughout the area. Locals also participate in a parade, and Yosakoi dance on Peace Boulevard.
History The origin of the festival is the Japanese professional baseball Central League Champion parade for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp team in 1975. At the inaugural festival in 1977, Agnes Lum had to be escorted from the festival on a fire truck due to the number of fans overwhelming the event.
Themes The underlying themes of the festival are to: Make Hiroshima full of flowers, greens, and music. Share the brightness and dignity of life with all people. Appeal for a warm-hearted cultural and personnel interchange from Hiroshima to the world.
Events The key events of the festival are:
Parades Flower parade on May 3. Kinsai (visit us) Yosakoi parade on May 5.
Concerts and performances Multiple concerts and performances on twenty stages, and in seventy squares every day. Candlelight services with peace messages and origami cranes Mikoshi, Kagura and peace concerts are held at night.
Flower singer A featured performer termed the Flower singer was arranged to sing the theme song each year up to 2005. From 2006 the Flower singer was replaced with Flower Festival special guests, and other guests were also noted. These performers have been: YearFlower singerOther artists1977, 1978Naomi Sagara1979, 1980, 1985Yoko Seri1981Junko Sakurada1982Hitomi Ishikawa1983Ikue Sakakibara1984Hidemi Ishikawa1986Judy Ongg1987Miho Nakayama1988Yū Hayami1989Noriko Sakai1990Tomomi Nishimura1991Fuyumi Sakamoto1992Eriko Tamura1993Reiko Kato1994Oyunaa1995Marcia1996Ranran Suzuki1997Yoshie Hayasaka1998Kim Yeon-ja1999Hikaru Nishida2000Kumiko Endo2001Miki Sakai2002Wakako Shimazaki2003Hitomi Shimatani2004Sonim2005Sayaka KamizonoYearFF special guestsOther guests2006MAX, Koriki Choshu, Hinoi Team2007Masashi Akiyama, Takako Uehara, Younha2008Ai Kawashima, Kousuke Atari, TDR characters2009Jero, Kaori Mizumori, Yokota-KaguradanAki-Gakudan, Osedo Chishima, Takashi & Chiharu, Sayaka Kamizono, Katsuhiko & Maco, Kentaro Kihara, Takahiro Miyazaki, CNA, DSC, Tomonari Takano, Takarabune, Chiharu Tamaki, trunk, Shoji Narita, Mebius, Kenta Morimoto, Anri Kumaki, The generous, Scandal, Miho Fukuhara, Lil'B
References
External links Official website