ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
WELCOME TO THE NATION’S GREATEST SPRINGTIME CELEBRATION!
The 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, and celebrates the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. Today’s Festival now spans four weeks and welcomes more than 1.5 million people to enjoy diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. Events are primarily free and open to the public.
WELCOME TIM YANKE
2026 Official Artist Tim Yanke, is an American artist with Park West Gallery, one of the world’s largest art dealers. His bold, rhythmic, and compelling art draws from the colors and culture of the Southwestern United States. Best known for abstract artwork, dragonfly imagery, and his vibrant representations of the U.S. flag—dubbed “Yanke Doodles”—his work is collected around the world and often praised for the nostalgia it inspires.
Born in Detroit and the youngest of six siblings, Yanke’s artistic journey began with heartfelt encouragement from his father, who once told him, “You have a great imagination.” That moment sparked a lifelong passion for visual storytelling. Childhood road trips through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to visit his sister at Northern Arizona University exposed him to the vivid colors of the Southwest—where he feels the clouds are whiter, the sky bluer, and the earth redder than anywhere else. Yanke earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in advertising and graphic arts from the University of North Texas in 1986. After two decades in corporate advertising at Ameritech (later AT&T), he returned to his artistic roots, inspired by memories of the Southwest. In 1999, he began working with Park West Gallery, launching a successful career as a full-time studio artist.
His “Neo-West” style blends Abstract Expressionism with Native American symbolism, using boldly saturated hues and spontaneous composition. Influenced by artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock, and Georgia O’Keeffe, Listening to anything from the Rolling Stones and Widespread Panic to the Grateful Dead, Yanke can’t paint without music. He considers music to be just as vital as his canvas or paintbrushes, and music is an underlying theme his work. Yanke’s recurring motifs include dragonflies, inspired by his mother’s antique lamp, and his evolving “Yanke Doodle” flags, which reflect America’s diversity by incorporating colors from many cultures. He works across mediums—painting, lenticulars, giclées, dye sublimation—and surfaces ranging from vinyl records to buffalo skulls.
Today, Yanke lives in Michigan with his wife and two sons, maintaining a studio in Metropolitan Detroit and continuing to explore the magic of the Southwest through annual trips and vibrant, emotionally-charged art.
View more of Yanke’s work on Instagram and the Park West Gallery website.
History of the Cherry Blossom Trees and Festival
1912: 3,000 CHERRY TREES GIFTED
More than 3,000 trees arrived in Washington in 1912 after coordination between the governments of the two countries, Dr. Jokichi Takamine, a world-famous chemist and the founder of Sankyo Co., Ltd. (today known as Daiichi Sankyo), Dr. David Fairchild of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Eliza Scidmore, first female board member of the National Geographic Society, and First Lady Helen Herron Taft.
MARCH 1912: FIRST TREES PLANTED
In a simple ceremony on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees from Japan on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park.
1912 – PRESENT: FIRST LADIES INVOLVED
Since First Lady Taft’s involvement, the nation’s first ladies have been proponents of the Festival. Historically, many were involved in events through the National Conference of State Societies’ Princess Program. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower crowned Queen Janet Bailey in 1953, and in 1976 Betty Ford invited the princesses to the White House. In 1965, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson accepted 3,800 Yoshino trees from the government of Japan and held a tree planting reenactment. All first ladies in recent years have served as Honorary Chair, many participating as well. In 1999, First Lady Hillary Clinton took part in a tree planting ceremony. In 2001, First Lady Laura Bush greeted guests with remarks at the Opening Ceremony. Honorary Chair First Lady Michelle Obama was involved in 2012, planting a cherry tree in West Potomac Park among dignitaries and guests.
1915: UNITED STATES RECIPROCATES
In 1915, the United States Government reciprocated with a gift of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan.
1927 – 1935: SCHOOLS & CIVIC GROUPS EXPAND FESTIVITIES
School children reenacted the initial planting and other activities, holding the first “festival” in 1927. Civic groups helped expand the festivities in 1935.
1981: JAPAN GIVEN CUTTINGS FOLLOWING FLOOD
In 1981, the cycle of giving came full circle. Japanese horticulturists were given cuttings from the original trees in DC to replace some cherry trees in Japan which had been destroyed in a flood.
1994 – 2012: FESTIVAL EXPANDS PROGRAMMING
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 was marked with a five-week celebration.
TODAY AND BEYOND
The National Cherry Blossom Festival pivoted to a virtual Festival with one week's notice at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
As the pandemic continued, the 2021 Festival featured hybrid programs and activities that extended beyond the Tidal Basin – across the District, in adjacent neighborhoods in Maryland and Virginia and even across the country and around the world.
The 2022 Festival celebrates the 110th anniversary of the gift of trees. What started with a gift is now one of the world’s greatest celebrations of spring.
SERVICE PROVIDERS
As a CPA firm serving the non-profit community, Rubino partners with the festival to tell its financial story and demonstrate the value and credibility of its financial statements.
Thank you to the meteorology team at Western Kentucky University for supporting the Festival in providing guidance and informing weather-related protocol to ensure a safe and enjoyable event experience for our attendees!
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