See our full Guide to the Cherry Blossoms

Festival Information | Peak Bloom | History

National Cherry Blossom Festival
The celebration of the cherry blossoms brings thousands of visitors to Washington each year. This year’s festival will take place March 28 through April 12. The following is a sampling of some of the don’t-miss events the festival has in store. For the full calendar, click here.

• Japanese Anime Marathon
On March 28, the Freer Gallery of Art will screen back-to-back anime films, Japan’s brand of animation. The day starts at 11:30 AM with Animal Treasure Island and wraps up after a 7 PM screening of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. All of the films will be introduced by Frederik Schodt, author of Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics.

• Smithsonian Kite Festival
Starting at 10 AM on March 28, the Smithsonian Kite Festival features demonstrations and hands-on activities with kite-flying experts. You can also build your own kite to enter the handmade-kite competition, or enter the Hot Tricks competition or the Rokkaku Kite Battle, both held at the end of the day.

• Cherry Blossom Photo Safaris
Learn photography tricks from pros as you stroll along the Tidal Basin. To get the best light, tours are at sunrise and in the afternoon. Instructors teach composition, lighting, and exposure for amateur photographers. The sunrise tour starts at 6:30 AM and costs $64 to $99 a person. The afternoon session is at 3 PM and costs $59 a person. Tours are offered periodically throughout the festival.

• Target Tidal Basin Stage
Japanese cultural performances take place throughout the festival on a stage near the Jefferson Memorial. Acts include music, dance, and song by local, national, and international performing artists.

• Cherry Blossom Soccer Tournament
Thirty-two adult coed teams compete in this seven-on-seven tournament. The prize? The Cherry Blossom Cup. Games are March 29 starting at 8 AM. They’re played at the JFK Hockey & Soccer Fields at Independence Avenue and 17 Street, Southwest.

• Cherry Blossoms Soirée and Reception
Hosted by Madame Tussauds DC and the Washington Wine Academy, this event at the wax museum on April 2 includes unlimited samples of wine, beer, and sake. Hors d’oeuvres and dessert will be served. Tickets are $38.50 a person or $72 for a couple.

• National Conference of State Societies Grand Ball
On April 3, you can attend this black-tie reception and dinner at the Grand Hyatt Washington featuring the presentation of the Cherry Blossom Princesses and the selection of the Cherry Blossom Queen. There’ll also be entertainment and dancing. Tickets are $150 a person.

• Japanese Street Festival
On April 4, the annual Sakura Matsuri—or Japanese street festival—will take place along Pennsylvania Avenue between 14th and 16th streets, Northwest. Booths will include sushi and sake samples, Japanese arts and crafts, origami, and more. Dancers and taiko drummers will perform.

• Fireworks Show
The festival concludes each year with a fireworks show, which will take place this year on April 11 at 8:30. The fireworks will launch from the Washington Channel, so go to East Potomac Park or the Southwest Waterfront promenade for the best viewing.

Peak Bloom Period
Each year, experts try to predict the peak blooming period of the cherry trees, defined as the time during which at least 70 percent of the blossoms will be open. This year, Rob DeFeo, chief horticulturist for the National Park Service, estimated the peak bloom period to be April 1 through 4. Enthusiasts can watch the buds open at the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Bloom Watch page.

History of the Trees
For more than 20 years in the early 20th century, cherry-tree aficionados worked hard to get the Japanese seedlings planted in US soil. Early attempts by Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore in the late 1800s failed, despite repeated appeals to officials to plant the trees in Washington.

In 1906, Dr. David Fairchild, a botanist and Department of Agriculture official, decided to take up the challenge and imported 75 trees on his own dime to test their heartiness and fitness for life in the United States. He planted them on his property in Chevy Chase and a year later declared his experiment a success. In 1908, Fairchild gave saplings to DC students to plant at their schools on Arbor Day—those were the first cherry trees in Washington.

Fast-forward four years. Scidmore and Fairchild finally generated enough momentum and support to import cherry trees to Washington. In 1912, Tokyo mayor Yukio Ozaki gave the city a gift of 3,020 cherry trees as a symbol of friendship and cultural exchange; those trees were planted around the Tidal Basin. First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, ceremonially planted the first trees. In a simple ceremony with a few witnesses, Taft gave Chinda a bouquet of roses as a gesture of thanks, and out of that exchange the Cherry Blossom Festival was born. In 1935, the first official festival, sponsored by local civic groups, was held.

Thirty years later, Lady Bird Johnson accepted another 3,800 trees from Japan. Many of these were planted on the grounds of the Washington Monument.

From the 1960s through the present, horticulturists have worked hard to retain the genetic characteristics of the trees in the original gift of 1912. Together with the National Park Service and the US National Arboretum, they frequently take cuttings from the old trees to restore and plant new ones in Washington. Most recently, between 2002 and 2006, 400 trees were planted.

For more on the history of the trees, visit the National Park Service's Web site.

See our full Guide to the Cherry Blossoms

→ At a Glance: Cherry-Blossom Basics
→ Beyond Cherry Blossoms: Activities Near the Tidal Basin
→ Cherry Blossom Dishes at Restaurants
→ In Bloom: Cherry Blossom Hotel Packages
→ We Want Your Cherry Blossom Photos
→ Cherry Picnicking: Spread a Blanket Under the Blossoms
→ Sake to Me: Where to Get Japan's Favorite Drink in Washington
→ Cherry Blossom Cocktails
→ Beat the Crowds: Where Else to See Blooms Around Washington
→ Visitors' Guide to Washington, DC