GRAND PARADE
Sunday, April 19th - 1pm to 3pm
The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Grand Parade brings color and cheer to the streets of San Francisco and Japantown! Every year, the Grand Parade occurs on the final Sunday of the Festival. A lively procession of taiko drummers, dancers, and decorative floats will celebrate the Festival and the Japanese traditions that thrive here in Northern California.
200k+
Visitors a Year
PARADE GRAND MARSHAL
Atsuko Okatsuka
We are excited to welcome Atsuko Okatsuka as our 2026 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Parade Grand Marshal!
Atsuko Okatsuka is an award-winning comedian and actress making waves across the globe with her one-of-a-kind humor, boundless energy, and infectious charm. Her highly anticipated second stand-up special, FATHER, recently premiered on Hulu and internationally on Disney+. It quickly occupied the top ten on the streamer and had multiple clips go viral, making it one of the most talked about specials to debut on the Hularious brand. Following the success of FATHER she recently embarked on The Big Bowl tour which will hit multiple cities across America.
Come out on Parade Day to see her there!
PARADE COMMUNITY MARSHALS
PJ and Roy Hirabayashi
We are excited to welcome PJ and Roy Hirabayashi as our 2026 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Parade Community Marshals!
Roy and PJ Hirabayashi, co-founder and artistic director emeritus of San Jose Taiko (SJT), celebrate 53 years of playing taiko. For their years of community-building and expanding the art form of taiko through SJT, the National Endowment of the Arts awarded them the National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, in 2011.
PJ’s current project is TaikoPeace, an extension of her Peace Ambassadorship with the Shift Network’s Summer of Peace and Karen Armstrong’s Charter for Compassion.
Roy remains active in the national arts community. The Government of Japan recognized Roy by awarding The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays in 2023. In 2024, Roy was appointed to the California Arts Council.
Come out on Parade Day to see them there!
PARADE COMMUNITY MARSHALS
Steve Nakajo
We are excited to welcome Steve Nakajo as our 2026 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Parade Community Marshal!
Steve is a respected leader and longtime advocate in San Francisco’s Japanese American community. After moving to San Francisco in the early 1950s and growing up in the Western Addition, Nakajo dedicated his life to preserving and strengthening Japantown. He co-founded Kimochi Senior Services in 1971 and served as its Executive Director for 46 years, helping generations of Issei and Nisei access vital services. A social worker and educator, he also taught Asian American and Ethnic Studies at several Bay Area institutions, mentoring countless students and community leaders. Nakajo has played key roles in numerous community initiatives, serving as Executive Director of Japantown Task Force, co-founding the Nihonmachi Street Fair in 1971, presently serves as President of the San Francisco Fire Commission, appointed member since 1995 by 6 mayors. Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival serving as Co-Chairperson in 1991 and continued to guide the Festival through 2021.
Honored by the Japanese Government and received numerous City awards recognizing his leadership, Nakajo continues to be a guiding force dedicated to preserving the history, culture, and future of Japantown.’
Come out on Parade Day to see him there!
BEAUTY IN MOTION
Like a A Myriad of Floating Butterflies
Streams of colorful floats will be carrying individuals of Japanese American and other Asian American communities. Japanese classical (Buyo) and folk (Minyo) dance groups from around the U.S. and Japan will perform throughout the parade route like a myriad of floating butterflies. Highly honored Boy Scout Troops from the Japanese American communities will march proudly along the streets. The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Queen and her Court, as well as sister festival courts will cascade their way to Japantown in beautiful floats. Anchoring the parade is the hoisting of the San Francisco Taru Mikoshi by over one hundred strong individuals. It is a spectacle not to be missed, so be sure to come on out to cheer on the hundreds of participants!
59 Years
of Pride & Tradition
