The cherry trees were a gift from the Japanese to D.C. and the blossoming symbolizes the arrival of Spring. (which we are all anxiously waiting for!) They are planted around the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal basin and are a spectacular site when they are all in full bloom. (Check for the peak bloom week when planning your visit).
This year, the festival runs from March 20-April 14, and has over 200 performances and over 90 special city-wide events. The areas around the Tidal Basin and National Monument have stages for daily performances, grounds to picnic on, paddle-boating, and all kinds of tours. City-wide events include an Opening Ceremony (sorry, already sold out), Fireworks Festival and Show, a Japanese Stone Lantern Lighting Ceremony, a parade, a Japanese street festival, various Family Days activities, the National Kite Festival (my favorite and now our family tradition), and much, much more. It's amazing to see how many people show up every year to experience this Festival. The grounds are planted up everywhere with beautiful flowers (tulips, roses, etc) and people can be seen posing for pictures everywhere.
This year the Kite Festival will be held on March 30th from 10am-4:30pm, on the grounds of the National Monument. Thousands of people pack a picnic basket, grab a blanket and their kites and head out to this amazing event. I have memories of this as a kid and I have started a tradition of going with my family (this year will be our 4th year). We've turned it into a fun time with friends who want to join us, and it's a good time watching both the kids and the adults trying to get their kites up in the air. Kites run from the dollar store variety to home-made kites to some really elaborate kites. There are all kinds of competitions and some free activities for kids (if you get there early enough). The pictures don't do it justice but just image thousands of kites in the sky all at the same time!
Kid's View: "I like going to the kite festival. There's a giant tree there that we love to climb when we take a break from flying our kites. I like to see all the different cool kites and watch the competitions. The first year we bought a small kite there that we got up in the air but not too high. The second year we bought dollar store kites and some friends brought some fancy box kites that we couldn't get up in the air. Last year, we brought kites that use double strings but we couldn't figure out how to use them so we went back to our little cheapie ones that worked very well and went really high. My dad and I have a big home made one that needs to be finished but we haven't yet, so I guess this year we'll be using the old ones again. They work well so I'm good. Our group has been getting bigger every year and it's fun when more kids are there with us. I'm looking forward to going again this year!"The best part is that almost everything is free! Food truck vendors line the streets if you're not up to packing a picnic but plan to do a lot of walking to get there. Port-o-lets are everywhere and are maintained regularly. Parking is a killer so I highly suggest taking the Metro. We usually take it to the Smithsonian Station but there are others around depending on which direction you're coming from.
http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/
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