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Kaylynn Yankovich
National Cherry Blossom Festival
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National Cherry Blossom Festival Team, Mayor Bowser, Other City Officials Challenge D.C. Region to ‘Spring It On’ for 2023 National Cherry Blossom Festival
National Park Service Announced Predicted Peak Bloom Dates are March 22 –25
Washington, D.C. [March 1, 2023] – Today at Conrad Washington, DC (950 New York Avenue NW), the National Cherry Blossom Festival team was joined by Mayor Muriel Bowser, other city officials, and Festival stakeholders, at a press conference to invite the Washington, D.C. region to “Spring It On” during the 2023 National Cherry Blossom Festival, being held March 20-April 16. Spring’s biggest welcome party, the 2023 Festival will bring back well-loved traditions plus new collaborations and experiences for four weeks of fun, food, culture, and entertainment. The National Park Service announced at today’s press conference the predicted peak bloom dates of March 22 – 25.
To view the official 2023 Festival press kit, click here or visit NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org/news for more information.
“We invite residents and visitors to go all out in celebrating the beautiful cherry blossoms,” said Diana Mayhew, President & CEO of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. “Join us in embracing the season, engaging with and enjoying all that springtime in Washington, DC has to offer. To Spring It On is to make memorable moments with friends and family, with beloved traditions and new experiences blossoming throughout the region.”
“Spring is a beautiful and exciting time in DC, and we love to welcome visitors to our city for the National Cherry Blossom Festival,” said Mayor Bowser. “And when people come for the Cherry Blossom Festival, we want them to stay and experience DC – our restaurants, our free museums, our theaters and sports, and our beautiful neighborhoods across all eight wards that are also filled with cherry blossoms. There’s so much to do and see, so help us spread the word about spring in DC.”
“The National Park Service is proud to be the stewards of the Japanese cherry trees, whose blossoms each year mark the return of spring to the nation’s capital,” Jeff Reinbold, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said. “We invite visitors from around the corner and around the globe to enjoy Washington’s grandest springtime tradition at the Tidal Basin, and to help us care for the trees by taking the pledge to become a Cherry Blossom Protector.”
The National Park Service will once again co-host the Tidal Basin Welcome Area and ANA Stage during the 2023 Festival, where more than 150 free live performances and educational events will take place March 18 – April 2 among perfect views of the blossoms during peak bloom (rain or shine). To embrace the full breadth of the blooming period, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Dates have been extended from March 18 – April 16.
Featuring intercultural programs that recognize traditional and contemporary arts, the Tidal Basin Welcome Area will provide resources and information from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. during peak bloom. Live entertainment showcasing a cross-cultural mix of American, Japanese, and other performing arts will take place 12-6 p.m. on the ANA Stage, presented by All Nippon Airways. Kids can earn their Bloomin’ Junior Ranger badge, and visitors of all ages can take the pledge to become a Cherry Blossom Protector. Food trucks will also be onsite and Festival merchandise will be available for purchase.
The Tidal Basin Welcome Area and ANA Stage will be located at West Basin Drive SW (between the Martin Luther King, Jr., and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorials and near the Japanese Pagoda). For more information about the Tidal Basin Welcome Area and ANA Stage, visit https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/event/tidal-basin/.
Other speakers at today’s National Cherry Blossom Festival press conference included Laura Schofield, Area Vice President Luxury Brands Americas at Hilton; David Moran, Chair, National Cherry Blossom Festival Board of Directors; Angie Gates, President and Chief Executive Officer, Events DC; Rachael Lighty, National Capital Region, Head of Public Relations, Amazon; and Koichi Ai, Minister and Head of Chancery / Minister for Public Affairs, Embassy of Japan.
Leadership Circle sponsors for the 2023 National Cherry Blossom Festival are Amazon and Events DC. Host sponsors for the 2023 Festival are Chase, ANA, Mars, Inc., TCMA (A Drew Company) for the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, and DowntownDC Business Improvement District. The Festival thanks Conrad Washington, DC for graciously hosting today’s press conference.
The Festival encourages participants to engage with the community by posting pictures, videos, and memories to their social media channels using the hashtag #SpringItOn.
Audiences across the globe will be able to view the Tidal Basin and cherry blossoms at peak bloom with the return of the #BloomCam, supported by Trust for the National Mall, where audiences around the globe will be able to view the Tidal Basin and the cherry blossoms at peak bloom.
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About the National Cherry Blossom Festival
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the world’s great celebrations of spring. The 2023 Festival, March 18-April 16, will include four weeks of events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. Leadership Circle Sponsors for the 2023 National Cherry Blossom Festival are Events DC and Amazon. Add the 2023 Festival and signature events to your calendar, and visit NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org or call 877.44.BLOOM (877.442.5666) for more information. Get the latest updates via email, and be sure to follow the Festival on Facebook (@CherryBlossomFestival), Instagram (@CherryBlossFest), Twitter (@CherryBlossFest) and YouTube (@CherryBlossFest).
