The National Cherry Blossom Festival begins on March 20th—it marks the start of spring and celebrates Japanese culture.
March is officially here, and that means the wonderful Cherry Blossom Festival is coming! Every year, the stunning cherry blossom trees that were gifted to America by Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo back in 1912 come into bloom, littering the streets with beautiful and delicate cherry blossom petals. During this time, there is an extensive line-up of celebrations, events, art installations, and cultural festivals that celebrate Japanese culture. This is just a small sampling of what’s available, so remember to check out the full list of events on the NCBF website!
Petal Porches
Petal Porches is a delightful competition that gets everyone in the spirit of the season. You can register for free and print the Petal Porches sign for your display in order to have your home in the competition. If you don’t have a porch, you can still register and decorate the area in front of your home or even your windows. As long as it’s visible, it’s good!
- Best Blossom Block: If you’re wanting to get everyone in on the fun, you can invite your neighbors to participate and compete for the title of Best Blossom Block. The winners will get a neighborhood party thrown on March 26th.
- Prime Petal Porches: Each D.C. ward will have a Prime Petal Porch winner, while Virginia and Maryland will have one winner in each state. The winners will receive a watercolor rendering of their design.
- The Peoples’ Petal Porch: The D.C. wards will compete for this title via a competition-style bracket, along with Virginia and Maryland going head-to-head in a daily bonus round. Each winner gets an Amazon gift card!
Check out the rules and regulations, and then send in your registration before March 13th in order to secure your spot and your free Petal Porch sign.
Cherry Hunt
Cherry Hunt is a delightful mission-based interactive experience that everyone can join in on by downloading the Goosechase app and looking for the Cherry Hunt event. The event will take participants through many amazing local restaurants where they can enjoy spring-inspired food and drinks and socialize together as they complete the missions.
Cherry Hunt is a weekly experience that begins on March 20th and ends on April 16th. You can join in on the fun by following some simple steps:
- Download the Goosechase app to your phone.
- Create an account (or play as a guest).
- Enter the game code ‘CHERRY.’
- Select “Let’s go!”
- Make sure push notifications are on.
- Complete missions!
Petalpalooza
Petalpalooza takes place on April 8th, from 1 p.m. – 9 p.m. This is an all-day, all-ages event at Capitol Riverfront. Petalpalooza will feature live music and entertainment, interactive art installations, a cashless beverage garden, and more! To top the night off, the Official National Cherry Blossom Festival Fireworks Show will begin at 8:30 p.m. and will be visible over the Anacostia River.
Sakura Matsuri
Sakura Matsuri is a massive celebration of Japanese culture that takes place over more than 24 hours and features diverse performances (such as J-Pop and traditional Japanese music), cultural exhibits and goods, and Japanese food and beverages.
This event takes place:
- Saturday, April 15th, 10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Sunday, April 16th, 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Early Bird tickets are available until March 31st: $10 for one day or $15 for both days. There are also family packages, and the ability to prepurchase Sakura Matsuri t-shirts and Sakura-chan toy plushes.
National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade
To top off the beautiful cherry blossom season is the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. It will be an epic convoy of massive helium balloons, and stunning parade floats, along with plenty of live entertainment from celebrity entertainers, professional dancers, and musicians. It’s sure to be a delight for the whole family!
The parade takes place on Saturday, April 15th, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Tickets for seats at Telecast are $40, while tickets for Grandstand are $25-30. Group tickets are available, too!
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