DOINews: NPS-National Mall and Memorial Parks: Cherry Blossom Festival Kicks Off

	Cherry blossoms along the walkway from the FDR Memorial to the Tidal Basin in 2011. Photo by Dan Sealy, NPS.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival, one of the nation's great springtime celebrations, opened yesterday on the first day of spring. It will continue through Sunday, April 13.

This year commemorates the 102nd anniversary of the gift of the cherry trees from Tokyo to Washington, D.C., with more than three weeks and four weekends of programming. Events are primarily free and open to the public.

During the opening ceremony at the Warner Theatre tomorrow, performers from the United States and Japan will welcome spring and celebrate the anniversary of the gift of trees. The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade will be on Saturday, April 12, from 10 a.m. until noon. The parade marches down Constitution Avenue.

Additional information on other festival events can be found at this website.

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March 21, 2014

This story appears in the March 21 edition of InsideNPS.