Macon’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival began today, launching ten days of events designed to highlight the city’s vibrant culture and strong sense of community. With more than 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees in bloom, Macon once again transforms into what has been recognized as the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World.

The festival, which now draws visitors from across the nation, is centered on the themes of love, beauty, and international friendship. The event promotes community pride and civic unity while offering a significant economic boost to Macon and the surrounding region.

From its modest beginnings in the early 1980s, the Cherry Blossom Festival has grown into one of the most prominent springtime celebrations in the country. What started as a three-day event now spans an entire month, with hundreds of activities catering to all ages.

The festival owes its origins to William A. Fickling Sr., a Macon realtor who discovered the first Yoshino cherry tree in his backyard in 1949. After confirming its identity during a visit to Washington, D.C., Fickling began propagating the trees and sharing them with the community. His efforts inspired a broader beautification project led by Carolyn Crayton in the 1970s.

Crayton, working with local families and businesses, organized the planting of 500 Yoshino cherry trees across Macon in 1973. Later, as director of the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Commission, she proposed an annual festival to honor both the trees and Fickling’s contributions.

The first official Cherry Blossom Festival was held in 1982, aligning with Fickling’s birthday and the typical peak bloom of the trees. Since then, it has become one of the South’s most anticipated seasonal events and a symbol of the city’s identity.