If you have yet to experience Japan’s world-renowned cherry blossom season, you’ll soon be able to take a stroll at LaLaport BBCC mall in the heart of Kuala Lumpur to check out the digital blooms in the "Sakura Festival" immersive art experience, which opens this Saturday.
The festival is powered by Naked, Inc, a Tokyo-based outfit that will be marking its first-ever digital art and projection mapping display in Malaysia, after successfully presenting shows across Japan as well as in Paris and Shanghai. Its most recent immersive art showcase was at the World Heritage Site Nijo-jo Castle in Kyoto for this year’s Sakura festival.
The "Sakura Festival" in Kuala Lumpur, scheduled from April 20 to May 19, will take place at the Central Rooftop Garden, Level 4, LaLaport BBCC. This outdoor venue, previously hosting teamLab's Resonating Microcosms exhibition in 2022, drew crowds of thousands.
The "Sakura Festival" promises to captivate visitors with immersive art. Beginning on the ground floor of LaLaport BBCC for registration and a seasonal menu special at WoW Plaza, it then guides guests to the outdoor roof garden. There, they'll encounter illuminated cherry blossoms, fragrant "sakura" bubble machines, and iconic installations reminiscent of Japan's Sakura season.
The festival is free admission and open daily, with accompanying themed stalls, workshops, and games.
The Sakura Festival, rooted in Japan's Hanami tradition, celebrates the fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms. Annually, Japan's meteorology department forecasts the blossom period (typically late March to early May), prompting locals to arrange outdoor activities like picnics. Tourists eagerly seek out prime viewing spots across Japan as the blossoms only grace the landscape for a brief week or two.
