Road closures, traffic plan: How to navigate Macon during Cherry Blossom Festival

The Cherry Blossom brings thousands of people to Macon and Middle Georgia each year. But with the traffic and the events come road closures.

But, don’t worry. Here is your guide to the main road closures for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Cherry Street

Cherry Street will be closed Saturday for the Wiener Dog Race, Bed Race and Firefighter Competition that will take place from 11 a.m. until about 3 p.m., according to the Cherry Blossom Festival website.

Stacey Moore, the president and CEO of the Cherry Blossom Festival, said Cherry Street will be closed from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Third Street.

Poplar Street

Moore said Poplar Street will be closed between First and Second treets for Pasta on Poplar, held 6-9 p.m. Friday, according to the website.

Third Street

Moore said Third Street will be closed daily for the Third Street Park Festivities between Mulberry and Cherry streets.

The Third Street Park Festivities will happen every weekday of the Cherry Blossom Festival 11a.m.-1:30 p.m. March 25-29, according to the website.

Moore said this area will also be closed for the entire Food Truck Frenzy event, held 10a.m.-7 p.m. March 30, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. March 31. The street will be closed before 10 a.m. March 30 until the event ends on Sunday.

Mulberry Street

Mulberry Street will be closed for the Mulberry Street Arts & Crafts Festival, Moore said.

The event is held 10 a.m. -6 p.m. March 30 and 10 a.m. -5 p.m. March 31, according to the website, but the street will be closed before 10 a.m. March 30 and will not reopen until after the festival ends, Moore said.

Special Events

On Sunday, Cherry Blossom Road Race for Wesley Glen will be held 2:30-4 p.m. and the 38th Cherry Blossom Parade starts at 4 p.m., according to the website.

The roads along the routes of the race and parade will be closed. The routes for the road race can be found at www.cherryblossomroadrace.com.

The parade starts at the corner of Cherry Street and Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard. It goes up Cherry Street and takes a right on First Street. Then, it takes a right on Mulberry Street and goes back down to end at Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard.

This story was originally published March 14, 2019 at 5:00 AM.