Cherry Blossom Bloom in Nation’s Capital

After a dreary and cold winter, people from all over the world have come to our nation’s capital in the last two weeks to see the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The official festival started on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, and will go until this upcoming weekend of Sunday, April 14. The Festival is likely one of the most popular springtime events, which welcomes almost 2 million people every year. Located at the Tidal Basin in D.C., the cherry blossoms have reached their peak bloom and are beautifully perched atop the branches of their trees.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo’s mayor, Yukio Ozaki, in 1912. At the heart of the three week celebration is the recognition of the relationship the U.S. and Japan share. Through coordination of the U.S. and Japanese governments, the 3,000 cherry trees arrived during William Howard Taft’s presidency. The planting of the cherry trees began at the end of March in 1912, during a small ceremony where both First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife to the Japanese Ambassador, planted the first two trees at the Tidal Basin. After the planting of the trees was complete, the U.S. coordinated a gift in return, of dogwood trees to the Japanese, in 1915.

Between 1927 and 1935, the cherry blossom festivals expanded and grew, as children and civic groups organized activities, such as reenacting the original planting of the trees, among others. After a flood that occurred in Japan in 1981, the U.S. returned Japan’s original gift with cuttings from the original trees to replace those lost in the flood. Since 1994, the National Cherry Blossom Festival has begun expansion from a week-long festival, to a two-week festival, and then again to a four-to-five week festival in 2012 on the 100-Anniversary of the blossoms.

There are around 50 events that take place and are sponsored by the Festival during the four-week-long festival, the most notable of which are the Japanese Stone Lantern Lighting Ceremony, the National Cherry Blossom Parade, which spans along Constitution Avenue, from 7th street down to 17th street, and the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival, located along Pennsylvania Avenue. Both the parade and Japanese Street Festival occur on Saturday, April 13, the second-to-last day of the Cherry Blossom Festival. The Blossom Kite Festival and Petalpalooza are also popular events hosted by the Festival.

When visiting the cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin, you are likely to encounter crowds of people, with some festival tents set up along sidewalks. It may be busy, but it is so worth it to see the beautiful blossoms on the trees. People from all different walks of life come to see the cherry blossoms, and it is so interesting to see how everyone admires the blossoms and their beauty.

From Frostburg, D.C. is only about two hours away, and, with use of the Metro, is so easy to access. Not only is seeing the cherry blossoms a wonderful experience, but riding the Metro and walking around our nation’s capital is an experience of its own!

For more information, visit: https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/visitor-info/