Cherry Blossom Festival

Other towns rely on robins or melting snow to tell them when spring has truly arrived. Washington, D.C. has cherry blossoms. Each year at the end of March or the beginning of April, the whole of the Tidal Basin gets a pink-and-white coating as the thousands of cherry trees ringing the water all bloom at once. Hundreds of thousands of people come to see the spectacle.

The trees first arrived at the Tidal Basin in 1912 as a gift from the people of Japan to the people of the United States. It’s only fitting, then, that the two-week National Cherry Blossom Festival has a distinctly Japanese flavor. The Japanese embassy shows Japanese movies and displays traditional art. The National Sushi Society holds a sake and sushi tasting. The Smithsonian sponsors a kite festival on the mall. It all peaks in a massive Japanese street fair featuring martial arts demonstrations, origami, koto players and rock bands, food from 20 different restaurants, sake, beer, and much more. There’s even a parade running down Constitution Avenue.

The Cherry Blossom Festival offers plenty of non-culturally-aligned events too. There are paddleboat rides, bike rides, and photo safaris; river cruises and guided walking tours; a soccer tournament, a rugby tournament, and a regatta. In short, it’s Washington, D.C.’s excuse to get back outdoors after its admittedly not-so-harsh winter.

Travel Tips

The 2013 National Cherry Blossom Festival will run from March 20 – April 14, 2013. For a full calendar of events, visit www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org. This event brings plenty of tourists to DC, so it’s a good idea to book a hotel reservation as early as possible. Many hotels offer package deals for the festival, which typically include a room and tours and tickets for the big event.

Photos of the Washington DC Cherry Blossoms