Seventy percent of the Yoshino cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin are now open, which means it’s officially peak bloom. The flowers remain in all their peak bloom glory for a few days, so this is prime time to check out the blossoms at their best.
The March 26 start date is a welcome surprise after a winter of snowcrete and cold temperatures. At a press conference earlier this month, the National Park Service predicted the peak bloom window to be somewhere between March 29 and April 1.
Even though the trees are just now hitting their peak, the National Cherry Blossom Festival is already in full swing. Upcoming events include Bloomfest, a daily party at the Tidal Basin with live performances from March 27 to April 11 and the Blossom Kite Festival at the Washington Monument on March 28. Beyond the festival events, petal-peepers can celebrate the flowers with themed afternoon teas or fun blossom tours, scoping out the trees via bicycle or boat.
If you’re trying to avoid Tidal Basin crowds, there are more places around the area to see the cherry blossoms. Our favorites in Washington include the National Arboretum, Stanton Park, and Dumbarton Oaks. Beyond the District, you can also find blooms at National Harbor (these are the hot pink Okame variety, which are different from the paler flowers at the Tidal Basin) and Lake Anne Plaza in Reston, where the blossoms make for a pretty photo-op around the Van Gogh Bridge.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Takoma.
