Celebrate the blooms
Every spring the national mall comes alive with cherry blossom flowers, and from mid-March to mid-April the city celebrates the thousands of gorgeous trees. From 1912 to 1920, 3,020 trees were planted, and then in 1965 an additional 3,800 trees were gifted to Lady Bird Johnson—plus hundreds of others have been propagated from the original plantings. The festival is planned to coincide with the peak bloom: when around 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry trees are open.
Photo Credit: National Cherry Blossom Festival
March on
The National Cherry Blossom Festival isn’t all about taking in the beautiful blooms. The annual parade is one of Washington’s largest spectator events, where you can watch as balloons, floats and marching bands pass by. The parade route spans 10 blocks along Constitution Avenue, giving you plenty of vantage points to catch the colorful display.
Snap a picture
The original gifted cherry blossom trees were mostly planted along the Tidal Basin, with a few planted on the White House grounds and East Potomac Park. The Tidal Basin features a 2.1-mile loop trail, where you can stroll along to find prime photo ops of the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Look for the bronze plaque on the rock to find the location of the very first cherry trees.
Fly high
The National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off another important season in Washington: kite season. At the Blossom Kite Festival, kite makers and flyers of all skill levels come together for competitions and demonstrations. If your flying skills aren’t competition-ready, don’t worry, there’s a public field where you can loosen your strings and let your kite soar. The Kite Festival also features a make-a-kite station for children.
Keep your eye on the sky
Catch a fireworks show at Petalpalooza. Make a day of it and enjoy entertainment for everyone leading up to the fireworks show after dark. Listen to live music on multiple stages; make Japanese paper fans; have a cold one at the beer garden; and take part in activities, games and more.
Check out the monuments
Stroll along underneath the trees at the Tidal Basin and get prime views of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Washington Monument. All of these monuments can be seen from the Tidal Basin Loop Trail. Pro tip: Go in the early mornings or evenings or during the week when both the Tidal Basin and monuments are likely to be less crowded.
Look beyond the Tidal Basin
While the Tidal Basin is the most well-known spot to view the cherry blossoms, you can also check out Hains Point in East Potomac Park and the Washington Monument grounds, both of which have trails to view the trees on. Hains Point Loop is 4.1 miles and allows you to see multiple species of cherry trees. The Memorial Loop Trail is 2.7 miles and takes you past the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial and, of course, lots of cherry trees.
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