The DC Cherry Blossom Festival is in for Some Serious Sakura Action
Spring fever is scheduled to hit much of the East Coast today, as high temperatures in Boston, New York, and Washington, DC are all expected to be like way above normal. That’s a good thing especially for residents of the nation’s capital, as the warmer weather means that it’s almost time to celebrate the arrival of the city’s most famous residents—cherry blossoms. The 100th anniversary of the National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off on March 20 and runs through April 27, but everyone knows only Mother Nature decides when things really get underway.
There’s always predictions and forecasts when it comes to anticipating the peak blooms of the cherry blossom trees, and it sounds like things should arrive a little earlier than usual. That’s not too surprising considering this year’s winter—or lack thereof. National Park Service officials have run the numbers and reviewed the graphs, and they’re thinking the pink and white blossoms will look their best between March 24 and March 31. That doesn’t mean that other dates will leave you disappointed, but they do anticipate that the last week of March will be considered the peak bloom period.
All though nothing can steal the spotlight from the trees and the blossoms there are plenty of other entertainment options during this year’s festival. The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade features oversized helium balloons, floats, and marching bands—things step off on April 14. There’s also plenty of cultural events celebrating our buddies over in Japan, as they’re the ones that originally donated many of the first trees to Washington, DC. Sakura Matsuri is a Japanese style street festival, so if you want to check out something a little less traditional it’s all going down on April 14 as well.
There’s a kite festival at the end of the month—March 31—and there’s even plenty of fireworks scheduled for April 7. You can check out the full schedule of events right here, but you better pick your favorites or you’re going to need to take quite a few days off from work. Just remember to plan your visit sooner rather than later, as once the blossoms are gone it’s a long wait until March of 2013.
[Photo: Mrs. Gemstone]
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