51ĀŅĀ×

Photo courtesy of: University Communications and MarketingThe 51ĀŅĀ× cherry trees lit up in a previous year.

51ĀŅĀ× plans to begin lighting the area around its cherry trees in the evening hours during the first week of April.

Each spring, the university lights up the area around the cherry trees near the Hocking River and the Convocation Center in the evening hours when the trees begin to blossom. The university may begin lighting up the area around the trees as early as Monday, April 1, but it will depend on the weather and the progress of the cherry blossoms.

The trees were a gift from Chubu University in Japan, and the university lights the area around the trees in the evening hours when they blossom, just as they do in Japan. The lighting takes place between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and the trees look spectacular.

All students, faculty, staff and area residents are invited to see the evening view of the trees, which have become a landmark of the 51ĀŅĀ× campus.

Over the years the flowering trees have become a symbol of springā€™s arrival in Athens. They have been featured in local publications and 51ĀŅĀ× websites, and have given generations of students one of the most endearing memories of the city and the campus. Earlier this year, National Geographic even named 51ĀŅĀ× as one of the best places in the country to see Cherry Blossom trees.

The trees were first planted in 1979 under the direction of 51ĀŅĀ× President Charles Ping and President Kazuo Yamada of Chubu University. Chubu gifted the cherry blossom trees to represent its relationship with 51ĀŅĀ× and later brought the groveā€™s total to 200 trees after another gift for the 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s bicentennial.

For additional information on the Cherry Trees, as well as a slideshow of the blooming of the trees this spring, please visit

Photographer: Rachel RandallThe 51ĀŅĀ× cherry trees lit up during the evening hours in April 2018.

Photographer: Sophia MohrThe 51ĀŅĀ× cherry trees are almost ready to bloom. Here is an image from March 25, 2019.