Next year marks one hundred and ten years since DC received the gift of its cherry trees from Tokyo, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival will be reprising its iconic springtime celebration and returning to in-person festivities.
“I couldn’t be happier than to be promoting the 2022 National Cherry Blossom Festival,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a gathering of festival sponsors and stakeholders at The Hamilton Live in which 2022 festival plans were announced and 2022 official artwork was revealed. “I am thrilled to be able to come here to downtown Washington to the Hamilton LIVE and say wholeheartedly that DC is open.”
While 2020 and 2021’s springtime events were celebrated virtually at home, Cherry Blossom Festival President Diana Mayhew announced that signature events will be back in person and citywide from March 20 – April 17, 2022.
While the Tidal Basin hosts the main event with the beautiful trees, the Mayor reminded that “Cherry blossoms bloom in every neighborhood across Washington — from Cathedral Heights to Congress Heights and everywhere in between.”
For 2022, the Festival’s Opening Ceremony, held March 20th at the Warner Theatre, will feature Japanese music and samurai sword dancers. The Sakura Matsuri — the U.S.’s largest one-day celebration of Japanese culture in the U.S. — will be even bigger as it will be held on two days. The iconic kite festival returns on March 26th, and the popular parade will again return to its route on April 9th featuring a performance by American pop icon Taylor Dane.
“This upcoming celebration of spring will be a testament to the power of what it means to come together, revitalizing a tradition that people look forward to every year,” Greg O’Dell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Events DC, a festival sponsor, said.
Alongside the announcement of 2022 festival highlights, next year’s official artwork, crafted by local artist Lea Craigie-Marshall, was unveiled. Entitled “Blossom Dance,” it showcases monarch butterflies amongst a plethora of blooms.
“Our Cherry Blossoms, they never stopped blooming. In fact, the cherry blossoms were a bright spot in a few dreary days and a beautiful reminder of the hope that they inspire, and the sense of renewal that they embody,” Mayor Bowser reminded.
