The National Cherry Blossom Festival will be in full bloom this year, hosting a fully in-person festival again for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic started.
On Tuesday, National Cherry Blossom Festival and city leaders announced that the event, which had been virtual in 2020 and 2021, will be held in person beginning March 20 in coordination with the National Park Service’s prediction for peak bloom, or the time at which more than 70 percent of the blossoms along the Tidal Basin have flowered.
Wp Get the full experience.Choose your plan ArrowRight
The Park Service predicted peak bloom to occur between March 22 and 25. The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang has predicted peak bloom for March 24, or within a five-day window of March 22 and 26.
Story continues below advertisement
The festival is one of Washington’s most cherished traditions as the pink flowers signal the transition to spring and mark the start of the city’s tourism season. The festival — like other large events around the world — was shuttered by the pandemic and forced to find alternative ways to celebrate.
We predict D.C.’s cherry blossoms will peak about one week early this year
But as coronavirus cases in the Washington region trend down and leaders lift restrictions, the festival will be back this year with the theme “Rediscover Spring” and dozens of events and performances, including the opening ceremony, kite festival and parade.
Advertisement
Organizers and leaders gathered Tuesday morning in the sky lounge of an apartment complex overlooking the Tidal Basin, some dressed in bright pink attire and enjoying refreshments — including cherry blossom-flavored sparkling water — to announce the peak blossom dates and festival plans.
Story continues below advertisement
“This year’s festival is about uniting the community as well as rediscovering well-loved traditions and exploring new ways to celebrate springtime throughout Washington, D.C., and the surrounding areas,” Diana Mayhew, president of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, said.
Here’s which coronavirus restrictions remain in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
The region’s leaders have been trying to return the region’s tourism, food and entertainment industries back to normal after about two years of the pandemic. Last month, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced that the city’s proof-of-vaccination requirement and mask mandate would be lifted, citing declining coronavirus cases in the city. And last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased indoor masking guidance for much of the country.
“One thing I know about our destination,” Bowser said, “is that people will be flocking back to it. So let me say without equivocation, that D.C. is open.”
Advertisement
Story continues below advertisement
The Cherry Blossom Festival attracted 1.6 million guests in 2019, the last year it was held in person.
The city marked a record year in tourism that year, with 24.6 million visitors generating $896 million in tax revenue, according to the city’s tourism arm, Destination DC. In 2020, with shutdowns, fear and limited travel, those numbers plummeted, cutting the number of domestic visitors nearly in half.
The festival was one of the first major events in Washington impacted by the onset of the pandemic, leaving organizers scrambling to cancel events and recalibrate. Last year, as cases still raged, and vaccines were not yet widely available, the festival was reimagined with a hybrid of limited in-person events and virtual experiences.
Story continues below advertisement
Still in 2020, crowds flooded the Tidal Basin to take in the blooming trees, leading officials to enlist the help of police. And in 2021, the Tidal Basin remained open for visitors, but Park Service officials threatened to close it off entirely if crowds got too big.
Nearly two years into the pandemic, the crowds are (almost) back to partying like it’s 2019
This year the city is prepared to welcome the crowds back with full programming. Events will include traditions such as the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade that runs for runs for 10 blocks along Constitution Avenue Northwest; the Blossom Kite Festival, which attracted more than 50,000 attendees on the National Mall in 2019; and Petalpalooza, a live music festival along the banks of the Anacostia River.
Advertisement
Other features that started during the pandemic are also back, like Petal Porches, a home decoration competition, and the BloomCam that allows flower fans to watch the blooming from anywhere.
“We’re thrilled to welcome so many of these events here today. I already sensed such a difference driving to work today, there was traffic, and people were honking. It reminded me of 2019 days,” D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) said. “People are back to work and ready to celebrate.”