Each year, 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, D.C. The
gift and annual celebration honor the lasting
friendship between the United States and
Japan and the continued close relationship
between the two countries.
Today’s National Cherry Blossom Festival
has grown from modest beginnings to the
nation’s greatest springtime celebration.
School children reenacted the initial
planting and other activities, holding
the first “festival” in 1927. Civic groups
helped expand the festivities in 1935. 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 of the gift was marked
with a five-week celebration. Today, the
Festival spans four weekends and welcomes
more than 1.5 million people to enjoy diverse
programming and the trees. Over the years,
millions have participated in the annual event
that heralds spring in the nation’s capital.
SIGNATURE EVENTS FOR THE NATIONAL CHERRY
BLOSSOM FESTIVAL 2018 INCLUDE:
PINK TIE PARTY
Pink Tie Party
PRESENTED BY ANA AT THE
RONALD REAGAN BUILDING AND
INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTER
NEW FOR 2018
• Don your finest “Pink Tie” cocktail attire
and compete against other tastemakers
and fashionistas for the First Annual
Fashion Face-off to win an incredible prize.
• Indulge in Chateau D’Esclans’
Whispering Angel, a mouth-watering rosé
that has developed a cult following at the
rosé bar.
• Enjoy an open bar and bites from D.C.’s
hottest restaurants, including Carmine’s,
Charlie Palmer Steak, City Winery, Lincoln,
Teddy & the Bully Bar, and more.
Thursday, March 15
Opening Ceremony
SATURDAY,
MARCH 24:
Opening Ceremony
at the Warner
Theatre
Kite Festival
Credit: Daniel Sone
SATURDAY,
MARCH 31:
Blossom Kite Festival on the
Washington Monument grounds
FLYWASHINGTON.COM 66 SPRING 2018