COVID canceled N.J. cherry blossom festival last year. See what changes are being made for 2021. – NJ.com

People on foot hoping to catch a glimpse of the nation’s largest collection of cherry blossoms in bloom at Essex County’s Branch Brook Park were turned away in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns.

But not this year. You can walk in the park or drive through it to see the park’s 5,000 colorful cherry blossoms, while still staying socially distanced.

“We don’t want people to gather,” said Essex County spokesman Anthony Puglisi.

Not everything is back to normal, however. Bloomfest — the highlight of the Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival that usually featured a day of music — has been canceled, Puglisi said.

The annual 10K run through the park, which is located in Newark and Belleville, won’t be happening in the traditional way either. There will, however, be a virtual race that runners may participate in between April 3 and April 18 by downloading the Rungo App to submit race results. Runners can pick their own route through the park and may register online.

It was not immediately clear if other annual events, like the bike challenge, 1-mile fun run and cherry blossom bus tours, were still on. No dates have been listed for those events on the Essex County Park’s calendar.

The historic tours by cell phone are still on. Park-goers can access the free and self-guided tour by calling 973-433-9047.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo closed all county parks March 16 last year, when the coronavirus outbreak began to spread across New Jersey, but they were later reopened about six weeks later.

The National Park Service reportedly said it will limit pedestrians and drivers to see the famous cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. this year. The agency encouraged park-goers to participate in virtual events instead.

Take a peak at a live camera of Branch Brook Park to see when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Peak blossom times are dependent on weather, but usually take place at the beginning of April until the middle of the month.

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Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.