Monterey Park Cherry Blossom Festival returns after 3 year hiatus, helping community heal

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- The Monterey Park Cherry Blossom Festival is back after a three year break due to the pandemic.

This weekend, thousands of people are immersing themselves in the Japanese and Asian Pacific Islander culture.

The free two-day event includes music and dance performances, traditional tea ceremonies, art, a marketplace, and lots of food and fun.

The festival happens as the community continues to heal from the Lunar New Year tragedy earlier this year, when a gunman killed 11 people.

"Our community, people don't realize, is a diverse community. We have Cherry Blossom. We have Cinco de Mayo coming up," said David Ikeda, the performance chairperson for the festival. "It's a very diverse community and we're united, and we're just trying to get back united after the Lunar New Year incident."

ABC7's Irene Cruz had the honor of serving as the emcee on Saturday.

The festival is in its 23rd year.

It continues on Sunday at Barnes Park.