Cherry Blossom Peak Bloom Time Announced

Cherry blossom season starts soon, are you ready?

The flowering trees around the Tidal Basin are predicted to be at “peak bloom” between March 31 and April 3, said National Park Service officials this morning.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival will start March 18 and run through April 17. Here’s a sampling of the festivities:

• March 26, 5-6:30 p.m.: The festivities will kick off with musical performances at the Warner Theatre. (513 13th St. NW)
• April 2, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Kites will take flight over the National Mall during the sixth annual Blossom Kite Festival.
• April 5, 2:30 to 4 p.m.: A crowd will gather for the Japanese Stone Lantern Festival, with traditional Japanese music, the presentation of the United States and Japan Cherry Blossom QueenS and the the 2015 Cherry Blossom Princesses at the Tidal Basin at Independence Avenue and 17th Street SW.
• April 17, 1 to 5 p.m.: The Anacostia River Festival will celebrate the waterway with free canoeing and kayaking, live music, pop-up stores and a bike parade at Anacostia Park (Anacostia Drive and Good Hope Road SE).

Photos via Facebook/National Cherry Blossom Festival