Summer season kicks off at Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden

The gates have officially opened at Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden for its summer season. This is the first season with the garden’s new Bunka Centre open to the public. The centre is a space that offers lots of exhibits, daily programming and much more. Officials with the gardens say they can even host things like indoor wedding receptions at the centre, adding the gardens have been recognized provincially as one of the top ten North American gardens worth travelling.

“Being an outside location has served us well through COVID, being able to have things outdoors but it also doesn’t lend us very well if the weather is poor, so this gives us a backup location as well as a larger indoor space that we can host more events. We can now host wedding receptions, previously we just did ceremonies in the garden but now people can have their ceremony in the garden, and they can have their reception right here in the Bunka Centre,” said Melanie Berdusco, Marketing and Events Manager at Nikka Yuko Garden.

“That year we had the most visitors that we have had at the garden for a long time, approximately 44,000. We had 18. 5 per cent increase in the visitation of the Winter Light Festival. We have been nominated as the communities best attraction by the Alberta Chamber of Commerce Association. To be recognized on such a provincial level brings such pride and excitement to the Nikka Yuko team,” said Michelle Day, Executive Director at Nikka Yuko Garden.

The Bunka Centre will have an official grand opening on July 14, which will also be the 55th anniversary of Nikka Yuko.