No. As of October 2026, DC's cherry blossoms are not in season. The Tidal Basin's Yoshino trees peaked on March 26, 2026, and shed their petals within a week. The next season runs late March to early April 2027, with the National Cherry Blossom Festival scheduled for March 20 to April 11, 2027.
In brief
No, cherry blossoms are not in season in Washington, DC right now. As of October 2026, the Tidal Basin's Yoshino trees peaked on March 26, 2026, and dropped their petals within a week. The next opportunity is late March to early April 2027, when the National Cherry Blossom Festival runs March 20 to April 11.
The 2026 season: what happened
Peak bloom was confirmed on March 26, 2026, several days ahead of the National Park Service's original forecast of March 29 to April 1. A warm stretch in the 70s pushed the trees from Stage 5 (Puffy White) to peak in roughly five days, and rain plus 20 to 30 mph wind gusts in the following week accelerated petal drop.
The bloom itself was fairly quick, with the cherry blossoms not lasting quite a week after peak bloom, ended by warm temperatures and heavy rain.
DC's cherry blossoms are done for the season, the trees are leafing out now after a short, fast bloom squeezed in by a cold winter and warm spring.
What 'peak bloom' actually means
Peak bloom for the iconic cherry trees surrounding the Tidal Basin and National Mall is projected by the National Park Service, with exact timing dependent on weather conditions. Peak bloom occurs when 70% of the Tidal Basin's Yoshino cherry blossoms have opened, according to the NPS. Once peak bloom begins, the blossoms typically remain on the trees for seven to 10 days.
The NPS tracks six distinct phenological stages before making that call: Green Buds (March 11), Florets Visible (March 13), Extension of Florets (March 16), Peduncle Elongation (March 21), Puffy White (March 23), and Peak Bloom (March 26), those were the 2026 dates. Every year runs differently.
Planning for 2027
As of August 2026, there are no 2027 peak bloom predictions yet, and there won't be until late winter, the forecasters wait until the picture firms up. The National Park Service typically announces its forecast at the festival's spring press event, usually in late February or early March.
History is the best guide for now: peak bloom typically falls between the last week of March and the first week of April, with the two most recent seasons peaking on March 26 (2026) and March 28 (2025).
The 2027 National Cherry Blossom Festival is scheduled to run from March 20 to April 11, 2027. The odds are high that the bloom will fall at some point during those weeks, although that is never a sure thing.
The next festival, in spring 2027, will be the 115th anniversary of Japan's 1912 gift of cherry trees to the United States.
Where to see cherry blossoms in DC
The Tidal Basin is the center of it all. Thousands of cherry blossoms bloom throughout Washington, most notably 3,800 around the Tidal Basin each spring, and the display attracts over 1.5 million visitors each year. The best Metro stop is Smithsonian on the Orange/Blue/Silver lines. Parking is very limited; Metro is strongly recommended, or pre-book through SpotHero. Most festival events are free; paddle boats and Petalpalooza have fees.
The Tidal Basin is not the only option. Kwanzan cherry blossoms typically bloom later than the Yoshinos, often by one to three weeks, meaning visitors who arrive in mid-to-late April can still encounter cherry blossoms even after the main Tidal Basin peak has passed.
Again in 2026, visitors contended with a somewhat restricted blossom area at the Tidal Basin, with the National Park Service in the midst of a multi-year renovation project to shore up the basin's aging seawall. Check NPS.gov for any access updates before your 2027 visit.
How to track the bloom in real time next spring
NPS Bloom Watch, the official source for stage updates and the peak bloom forecast
CherryBlossomWatch.com, the most detailed independent tracking site, with daily updates during bloom season
Peak bloom predictions often shift as conditions change. The NPS issues an initial bloom forecast in late February and updates it weekly. Warm late-winter stretches pull peak bloom earlier; cold snaps or wind storms can delay or shorten the display. Book accommodations with free cancellation, and keep an eye on the NPS tracker starting in mid-February.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
