National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. The gift and annual celebration honor the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan and the continued close relationship between the two countries.

The festival has grown from modest beginnings to the nation’s greatest springtime celebration. School children reenacted the initial planting and other activities, holding the first “festival” in 1927.  Civic groups helped expand the festivities in 1935. The Festival expanded to two weeks in 1994 to accommodate a diverse schedule during the blooming period. Growing again in 2012, the 100-year anniversary of the gift was marked with a five-week celebration.

Today, the Festival spans four weekends and welcomes more than 1.5 million people to enjoy diverse programming and the trees.

Cherry Blossom Bloom
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is planned to coincide as nearly as possible with the blooming of the trees.

"Peak Bloom Date" is defined as the day on which 70 percent of the blossoms of the Yoshino cherry trees are open. The date varies from year to year, depending on weather conditions.

The mean date of blooming is April 4, but nature is not always cooperative and the National Park Service horticulturists cannot make an accurate prediction much more than 10 days prior.

The blooming period starts several days before the Peak Bloom Date and can last as long as 14 days; however, frost or high temperatures combined with wind and/or rain can shorten this period. See more information about the blooming period.