It's peak week for cherry blossoms in Washington DC

It’s finally peak bloom for the airy pink cherry blossoms in Washington, a welcome sign of spring in a city of concrete and granite continuously weighed down by the necessary heft of the nation’s decision-making.

The thousands of blooming cherry trees that adorn the nation’s capital have burst into ephemeral blossoms, the arrival of which marks the unofficial beginning of Washington’s tourist season. It’s a fleeting window, though, with the delicate blooms at the mercy of weather shifts.

According to the National Park Service, which cares for the 3,500 cherry trees across the city, peak bloom date is defined as the day on which 70% of the Yoshino Cherry blossoms are open. This year, it’s right on time, typically happening between the last week of March and the first week of April, although it’s happened as early as March 15 and as late as April 18.

Aside from the bloom of the flowering trees themselves, there’s also the four-week National Cherry Blossom Festival, which began March 20 and runs through April 12 and includes musical performances, Japanese cultural events and a fireworks display.

Last year, according to festival organizers, more than 1.6 million people from across the world attended festival events, and a bloom cam garnered more than 2.3 million views.

The cherry blossoms date back to a 1912 gift of 3,000 trees from the mayor of Tokyo, and the Japanese government remains involved in their care and in the annual festival celebrations.


(AP Photo Tom Brenner)