ARKANSAS CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
SUNDAY 3/3. Hot Springs Convention Center. 12:30 p.m. Free.
In northern Japan, there’s a small town called Hanamaki with a strong tourist economy, powered by its bathhouse resorts. The source of the warm water? Geothermal activity, not unlike the kind you’ll find in Hot Springs, Hanamaki’s official sister city. One product of that partnership is the annual Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival, now in its seventh year. In addition to musical performances, traditional carnival games, an anime cosplay contest and a haiku competition, this year’s festival boasts workshops and lectures about tea, sake, samurai swords, furoshiki gift wrapping, manga, the yukata summertime kimono and the Buddhist symbolism behind cherry blossoms. Perhaps the most provocative activity offered, however, is a sumo wrestling exhibition (Arkansas’s first!) featuring professional fighters like Hiroki Sumi, who weighs 570 pounds and starred in “John Wick: Chapter 4.” While the general festival is free, admission to the wrestling exhibition is $30-$50 and workshops and lectures vary in price. Occurring the same weekend is the American Craft Sake Festival, which will host a $45 tasting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, with more than 30 styles of sakes from breweries across the country.
