National Cherry Blossom Festival In Washington D.C. Will Start March 26

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The National Park Service has announced the peak bloom dates for the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Chief Hortoculturalist Rob DeFeo predicted Thursday that the pink and white blossoms will be at their best from March 26 to April 3. He says the period is slightly earlier than some years in the past, and that there are many signs in other plants of an early spring.

This year's festival runs from March 26 to April 10.

Organizers say there will be a $5 entry fee this year to the Japanese street fair, one of the festival's most popular events. However most festival events are still free, including a walk past the popular cherry blossoms.

 

Been to the Cherry Blossom Festival? Send us your photos!

Find a picture, click the participate button, add a title and upload your picture

1 of 11

1 of 12

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

A couple lays under the blooming trees on the opening day of the 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

NPR Cruise To Set Sail On Regent's Seven Seas Voyager (PHOTOS)

Memorial Day: Atlantic City Third Most Popular Destination, Perhaps Due To Revel (PHOTOS)

Alaska Cruise Adventures Setting Sail This Summer (PHOTOS)

Tea Time: 10 Proper Spots To Celebrate The Queen's Jubilee (PHOTOS)

Where To Go When You've Summered Everywhere (PHOTOS)

The New Major Players In The Short-Term Peer-To-Peer Property Rental Game

A couple lays under the blooming trees on the opening day of the 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

comments(9)

Total comments: 9 | Post a Comment

1 of 12

Photo

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Pretty. Unreal!

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Current Top 5 Slides

loading...

Choose your Top 5 Slides

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[naschkatze]

09:33 PM on 03/04/2011

Are those tourists or all the bureaucrats who work in DC?

[raker]

09:22 PM on 03/05/2011

Yeah, who needs government employees. Just put the government on a timer and everything will get done on its own.

[La Carmina]

11:00 PM on 03/03/2011

I can't wait for sakura season in Tokyo! It's finally warming up over there, and the flowers will be blooming soon...

[jnik]

08:05 PM on 03/03/2011

The Cherry Blossoms in DC are something everyone should experience once. But don't depend on the date of the Festival. A lot ot times they've bloomed and fallen before the Festival even starts!

[Francis LaLonde]

05:47 PM on 03/03/2011

Uh...here in Michigan we have a little 'get-together' near Traverse City:
http://visit.cherryfestival.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Cherry_Festival

[KIVPossum]

05:31 PM on 03/03/2011

When I was a boy our family didn't have money to travel, so it was a surprise when dad announced, 'The kids need to see the Smithsonian', and told mom to yank us out of school for a few days. Pre-Interstate a trek to DC was a major drive, with kids sleeping in the back seat and floorboard. Remember we got to DC about dawn and drove along beside the cherry trees in bloom and thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

[jnik]

08:04 PM on 03/03/2011

Those are memories that stay with you.

[Widespread Panic]

04:29 PM on 03/03/2011

Love the cherry blossoms!! One of the best thing about spring!

[imonlyhereforthelaughs]

04:10 PM on 03/03/2011

Time to start doubling up on the Allegra...