What to Do During the 2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival

Perhaps one of our country's most beautiful cultural festivities is the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. The festival annually commemorates the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo in 1912 to the city of Washington.

The first ceremony on March 27, 1912, saw First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planting the first two trees from Japan on the north bank of the Tidal Basin, located in West Potomac Park.

In 1915, the United States returned the favor, sending flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan. In 1927, a group of American school children did a reenactment of the first planting and in 1935, the first official "festival" was held. The Festival itself celebrates the cherry blossom trees and their symbol of friendship, especially between Japan and the United States.

The Festival was spread over two weeks in 1994 in order to allow for more diverse activities in the Capital during the trees' blooming. Now, over a million people visit Washington DC every year to attend the Festival. In 2012, the Festival will commemorate its centennial anniversary and will likely have an epic celebration to mark the occasion.

The 2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival will take place from March 28-April 12 all over the city of Washington DC. Timed so that it falls during the prime blooming period of the trees, the Festival features over 150 daily cultural performances, art exhibits, fireworks and sports competitions to celebrate spring.

Click here for a list of events. Most are free, but those that require tickets will have a dollar sign next to the event.

Two exciting features of the Festival occur on Saturday, April 4. First, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade steps off at 10 a.m. and marches along Constitution Avenue between 7^th and 17^th Streets, NW. The parade will feature marching bands from high schools across the country, dance and drumming performances from Japan and the U.S., Cherry Blossom Queens from the US and Japan, as well as giant balloons, floats, antique cars and more.

After the parade (which should last about two hours), the Japan-America Society of Washington DC will present the 49^th Annual Sakura Matsuri--Japanese Street Festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The street festival will take place on Pennsylvania Avenue from 14^th Street in the west to 10^th Street on the east, as well as on 12^th Street from Pennsylvania southward to Constitution Ave.

The festival, which is the largest Japanese Street Festival in the United States, will feature everything Japanese, including arts and crafts, anime, manga and J-POP music, traditional dances and taiko drums.

End your stay with a tour of the cherry blossom trees. A walking tour is offered on Saturdays and Sundays of the festival and a bike tour is held every day. Otherwise, you can explore the trees yourself by visiting the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, East Potomac Park (Haines Point) and on the Washington Monument grounds.

Source: National Cherry Blossom Festival Official Website