Get ready — it’s almost time for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, DC’s iconic annual celebration of springtime. The 2024 festival will fill DC, NoVA, and Maryland with art, music, and thousands of pink blossoms from March 20 through April 14.
This year commemorates the 112th anniversary of the gift of cherry trees from Tokyo and the 97th Cherry Blossom Festival. Last year, approximately 1.3 million visitors attended the festival, according to Diana Mayhew, president of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Pre-pandemic, peak attendance was around 1.5 million. “And now, we feel like it’s going to come back full force,” she says.
Perhaps the most glamorous event is the Pink Tie Party (March 15), where attendees dress to the nines to kick off the festival. This year, the adults-only party will be held at Union Station for the first time. Tickets cost $250.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade (April 13) will sweep down Constitution Avenue with elaborate floats, balloons, dancers, and celebrity entertainers. Performances include hip-hop group Sugarhill Gang and American Idol finalist Colin Stough.
There will be over 100 free performances at the ANA Stage, where visitors can enjoy music and stunning views of the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin.
Other key events include the Opening Ceremony (March 23), with a performance from singer-songwriter Naotaro Moriyama; the Blossom Kite Festival (March 30); and the family-friendly Petalpalooza (April 6). Artwork and decorations like larger-than-life cherry blossom statues and flower-covered porches will fill the city.
There’s fun to be had in NoVA, too. “Over the past 24 years, really, the festival has evolved from a one-week event to four weeks, and one of the goals has been to take that celebration farther out,” to areas like the Mosaic District, National Landing, and Springfield, as well as into parts of Maryland, Mayhew says.
NoVA events include Art Blooms in Mosaic (April 6 and 7), Pink in the Park: The Art of Pink in National Landing (March 23), and the Pink Torpedoes art exhibit at Alexandria’s Torpedo Factory (March 23–April 14).
For on-theme dining, look for the list of Cherry Picks. Over 125 participating restaurants will offer special cocktails, desserts, and dishes inspired by springtime.
Most events are free, but some may require pre-registration. Because of the high volume of anticipated visitors, travel by public transportation is encouraged, including Metro, the DC Connector, and river taxis.
“What we try to do each year is to be innovative, to be creative, to not just have people come and watch or just look at the trees, but just be engaged and be part of it,” Mayhew says.
Feature image courtesy National Cherry Blossom Festival
This story originally ran in our March issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
