Where to travel in March: 29 festivals

Festivals and seasonal sights in 58 cities in March: Tokyo Marathon (Tokyo), SoftBank Hawks home games (Fukuoka), Cherry Blossoms (Busan), Gucun Park…

Top 10

Tokyo

• Tokyo Marathon — Forty thousand runners loop from Shinjuku through Ginza and Asakusa to Tokyo Station; central roads close, so stick to the metro that day.
• Cherry blossoms — Full bloom lasts barely ten days. Shinjuku Gyoen bans alcohol so it stays calm, Ueno Park is one big picnic, and the Meguro River is best lit up at night.

Fukuoka

• SoftBank Hawks home games — Outfield unreserved seats from ¥1,000. Thousands of yellow balloons go up together in the seventh inning.
• Fukuoka Castle Cherry Blossom Festival — Night illuminations under the stone walls 18:00–22:00, ¥600 per paid area or ¥1,500 for all three. Nishi Park's own cherry festival runs 27 March – 10 April.

Busan

• Cherry Blossoms — Opens in late March and peaks the first week of April. Dalmaji-gil is a walk from Haeundae; Oncheoncheon is right off the subway.

Shanghai

• Gucun Park Cherry Blossom Festival — Mid-March to early April every year, with night lighting among more than ten thousand cherry trees. In 2026 it ran 9 March to 9 April, ¥20 on weekdays. Weekend afternoons are packed from the metro onward; go on a weekday morning.

London

• Blossom and daffodils at Kew — Late March to mid-April: Kew's cherry walk and the daffodils in front of the Temperate House. On a wet day the glasshouses stay warm.

Nagoya

• Cherry blossoms at Nagoya Castle — Picnic mats fill the moat-side lawns. Weekend queues are long, so go early.

Manila

• Philippine International Pyromusical Competition — Fireworks teams from different countries compete to music, Saturday evenings; the 2026 run was 7 March–11 April and dates shift each year.
• Holy Week (Semana Santa) — On Good Friday many malls and restaurants close and the city empties out, but you can follow the Visita Iglesia pilgrims around seven churches.

Melbourne

• Australian Grand Prix — Four days in mid-to-late March on the street circuit around the lake. St Kilda Road trams are packed; book rooms months ahead.
• Moomba Festival — Four days over the Labour Day long weekend in early March. Rides along the river, fireworks, and the Birdman Rally where people leap into the Yarra in homemade wings. Free.
• Melbourne International Comedy Festival — About three and a half weeks from late March to mid-April, hundreds of shows a night. If your English is up to it, check the Town Hall box office for same-day deals.

Auckland

• Pasifika Festival — A two-day festival of island villages, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and more. Free, and the food is the point, so arrive hungry before lunch.
• Round the Bays — A Sunday morning in early March, tens of thousands run or walk 8.4 km along the waterfront. Tamaki Drive is closed to cars that morning.
• SYNTHONY Festival — A one-day outdoor show where an orchestra plays dance anthems. The Domain lawn becomes the front row.

Athens

• Apokries Carnival & Clean Monday Kites — Three weeks of costumed parades and confetti in the lanes before Lent, ending on Clean Monday when families fly kites on Philopappos Hill and picnic on lagana bread and octopus.
• Independence Day Military Parade — Tanks and jets pass parliament and the traditional-dress guards march. Central roads close that day, so move on foot.

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