The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual event in Washington DC that celebrates the beauty of the cherry blossom trees that bloom around the Tidal Basin in the springtime. The festival features a variety of events and activities that showcase Japanese culture and offer fun and entertainment for people of all ages. One of the main events of the festival is the Cherry Blossom Parade, which features colorful floats, marching bands, and giant helium balloons. The parade travels down Constitution Avenue and attracts thousands of spectators each year. There are also cultural performances and demonstrations, including traditional Japanese drumming and dancing, and flower-arranging demonstrations. Visitors can also enjoy delicious food and drinks from local vendors and food trucks. Another popular event during the festival is the Blossom Kite Festival, where visitors can watch kite-flying demonstrations and even participate in a kite-making workshop. The festival also offers many opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the cherry blossoms, including guided tours and boat rides around the Tidal Basin. Visitors can also attend the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival, which features traditional Japanese crafts, food, and entertainment.

This was my first time in DC to see the cherry blossoms. They were beautiful! We walked all around the water from the FDR Memorial to the Jefferson Memorial and back. We found street parking without too much trouble. Everything went well until we were ready to leave. As we drove out (the street was one way for the festival) it was gridlock. It took us an hour to go a mile. It seems that DC could figure out some sort of traffic plan that would improve the situation, not increase air pollution and waste gas.

A drive of 1 hour took more than 2 hours because of the traffic snarl as soon as we hit downtown. The roads are narrow, in need of repair. They are promoting the cherry blossom festival without keeping the traffic situation in mind. We had booked a parking in advance ( $35 instead of usual $17) which took us time to reach as Google and Apple map left us stranded before the parking lot. Then came the struggle for using a bathroom before we could enjoy the sights ! Starbucks was kind enough to provide people the right to use their bathroom. The line was never ending with around 20 people before us! Not an enjoyable experience! Maybe one should choose a working day if possible. Administrators of the event should plan better for people!! We are sill in bathroom q for past 40 minutes!!

Always beautiful. Traffic can get very congested during peak blossom. Take an uber to the WWII memorial and walk across from there. Although busy, I did not find it miserably crowded. You just need to plan to walk at a leisurely pace and step off of the path for photos.

Such a beautiful experience. Stay downtown if you can so you can walk to the tidal basin or take one of the busses. Otherwise you will be sitting in a lot of traffic. We enjoyed the beautiful monuments through the cherry blossoms and have such beautiful photos we will cherish always.