MACON, Ga. — Macon's Cherry Blossom Festival is in full swing after a year off due to the pandemic.
The center of fun is over at Carolyn Crayton Park, formerly Central City Park, which is now named in honor of one of the festival's founders.
Our Drone 13 team enjoyed clear skies and a light breeze while checking out the festival from above.
There are plenty of rides and games if you're looking for a thrill, or if you're into fair food favorites like funnel cakes, turkey legs, and roasted corn, they've got you covered too.
The festival rocks for 10 days each year, usually starting on the third Friday in March. The 2021 edition wraps up on Sunday, March 28.
Each day you'll also find entertainment like the Aquatic Acrobats Water Show, Jurassic Kingdom, which let's you interact with life-sized dinosaurs, and shows by Mike the Magician.
Drone 13 also checked out Third Street Park.
If you offer free cherry ice cream, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and Coke products you're sure to draw a crowd, and that's always the case each weekday during the festival. There's also a live DJ to keep the party rocking.
Tuesdays are always special each year. That's the Founder's Day Celebration to honor Carolyn Crayton and the late William Fickling, who helped helped start the festival.
Fickling discovered a Yoshino Cherry Tree blooming in Macon and fell in love with the silvery bark and light pink spring flowers. Through the years he and his family gave away thousands of them that were planted across Central Georgia.
Crayton helped launch the festival to share the beauty of Macon's trees with the world, and it quickly grew into one of the top festivals in the southeastern United States, drawing visitors from around the world.
It's always centered around a theme of peace and friendship, with a helping of Southern hospitality thrown in.
For many people, the 2021 festival is the first chance to get out and enjoy a big event since the start of the pandemic, although some indoor events were not held this year, and even some outdoor events went virtual.