The Jarvii One of the most popular times to visit DC is for the cherry blossoms. Hundreds of Japanese cherry trees along the Tidal Basin bloom a brilliant soft pink that bring thousands of visitors to DC during the festival’s three week period. The timing of when peak bloom is always hit or miss depending on the weather. But if you just so happen to be in town between the end of March till mid-April, boy do they look spectacular.
There’s many things to do other than stroll along the Tidal Basin looking at the blossoms. There are lot’s of cultural shows, art exhibits, a 10 mile run, and a parade during the three week festival run. But our most favorite event at this time is the Kite Festival!
What’s the Kite Festival you say? At minimum it’s just a day where everyone brings a kite to fly on the grounds of the Washington Monument. It can get kind of crowded depending on the weather (we managed to lose S this year). But the kids absolutely love love love seeing so many different kites gliding in the wind.
You can purchase your kite on the grounds from various (professional?) vendors. But needless to say it’s always super packed and busy that you should bring your own if you want to get to it.
The Kite Festival is jammed packed full of informational demonstrations. You will always have someone there demonstrating and explaining how different kites take flight. It’s actually really cool and quite informative, especially for inquisitive kids like mine.
Other neat things that I’ve enjoyed in the past is kite fighting! Yes, just like the book The Kite Runner, kite fighting. I’m sure it’s nothing like Afghanistan kite fighting, but it was really awesome to see in person. Reading the book totally doesn’t even begin to describe how agile and fast these kites move to attack opposing kites. It was quite a site–definitely recommend seeing it if you ever get an opportunity to.
Overall, the National Cherry Blossom Festival is definitely a great DC event one shouldn’t miss if you are in town. Make sure you pack a picnic lunch and prepare to enjoy the entire day outside enjoying the spring weather and the pink blooms!
