Burlington, Ont.—April 22, 2021 — The City of Burlington’s Mundialization Committee invites residents to celebrate spring and the city’s friendship with its twin cities, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands and Itabashi, Japan.

To help limit the spread of COVID-19 and following the current provincial Stay-at-Home order, all celebrations will be held virtually this year.

Virtual Sakura Festival
This year’s virtual Sakura Festival commemorates Burlington’s 32-year twin-city friendship with Itabashi, Japan and includes:

• Live photo stream of cherry blossoms: Follow the progress of the Japanese cherry blossoms on the Sakura trees in Spencer Smith Park as they get ready to burst into bloom over the coming weeks, with a live photo stream available on burlington.ca/CherryBlossoms. Through the photo stream, residents can view new photos of the trees, taken every day, or select the time lapse feature to see the progression of the blooms to date.
• Videos celebrating Japanese culture: Between May 5 – 12, follow the City’s social media channels, @cityburlington on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, for videos featuring traditional Japanese performances in music, dance and more.

Canada Netherlands Day
This year’s virtual celebration recognizes the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by the Canadian Armed Forces and the 16th anniversary of Burlington’s twinning with the City of Apeldoorn.

• May 5 – Follow the City’s social media channels, @cityburlington on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, to see two videos featuring distinguished guests, and musical performances from groups in Apeldoorn and Burlington. Highlights include a speaker who shares his experiences as a small boy at the end of World War II, and a unique performance by elementary school students from Trinity Christian School in Burlington.

Burlington is a City where people, nature and businesses thrive. City services may look different as we work to stop the spread of COVID-19. The City’s commitment to providing the community with essential services remains a priority. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at Burlington.ca/Enews and download the free City of Burlington app.

Quote

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
“The cherry blossoms of the Sakura trees in Spencer Smith Park are one of our city’s most picturesque landmarks our community, and visitors, look forward to every year. This year, as we do our part to stay home and limit outdoor gatherings to members of the same household, this virtual experience means that residents can enjoy these beautiful pink blooms no matter where there are. I’m also looking forward to commemorating an important milestone in Canada Netherlands Day marking the 76^th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by Canadian Armed Forces – arguably the birth of the deep connection and friendship between our two nations. We are very fortunate in Burlington to have formed strong friendships with our twin cities – Itabashi, Japan and Apeldoorn, the Netherlands — and I thank our Mundialization Committee for coordinating this year’s virtual events in honour of these important and special relationships.”

Quick Facts

• The Mundialization Committee is one of several City of Burlington Council appointed advisory committees, each made up of a group of volunteers from the community.
• Burlington’s Mundialization Committee strives to:
  •  connect Burlington to the world through events and initiatives
  • promote the City of Burlington as “A World Community” dedicated to the United Nations philosophy of peaceful co-operation among the peoples of the world
  • encourage community understanding of different cultures global issues.
• Sakura cherry blossoms have become a symbol of friendship between Canada and Japan, and many people today enjoy Hanami (blossom viewing).

 Links and Resources

• Learn more about Burlington’s Mundialization Committee
  
• Follow the spring celebration videos on the city’s social media channels at: @cityburlington on Twitter and Instagram, and facebook.com/cityburlington