Washington, D.C. (Wednesday, March 1, 2023) – The National Park Service is out with its prediction on when the cherry blossoms will likely peak at the Tidal Basin.  The time frame is March 22nd through March 25th.

The peak blossom is defined as the point when 70 percent of the blossoms have flowered.  District officials are already gearing up for the peak season.  Today,  Mayor Muriel Bowser, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and the National Park Service kicked off DC’s cherry blossom season by welcoming the Cherry Blossom Bus. The bus went on a four-day, five-city tour to promote the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which will be held from March 20 to April 16.

Officials say the 2023 National Cherry Blossom Festival will bring back much-loved traditions, plus new collaborations and experiences for four weeks of fun, food, culture, and entertainment. Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival marks the beginning of spring in the nation’s capital and attracts more than 1.5 million people to the District. At the heart of the festival is the blooming of 3,000 cherry blossom trees along the Tidal Basin.

The cherry blossom trees were gifted to Washington, DC by the Mayor of Tokyo back in 1912.