This year the annual Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates is fifty-fourth anniversary. Sponsored by the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce, and thanks in large part to the generosity and support of major corporate sponsors and tireless volunteers, this annual spring-time festival continues to be one of the longest running ethnic celebrations in the State of Hawai'i. In the weeks and months ahead, the festival will be offering many familiar activities and events, such as the Heritage Fair at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, and of course the Festival Ball, where a new Cherry Blossom Queen and Court will be selected. The theme of the 54th Cherry Blossom Festival is "Kansha (gratitude)" • History of the Festival