What happened to the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC?
Washington, DC's cherry blossoms hit peak bloom on March 26, 2026, a few days ahead of the National Park Service's original forecast. The 2025 season peaked March 28. Both years fell in the typical late-March window. The annual National Cherry Blossom Festival runs each spring across the city.
In brief
Washington, DC's cherry blossoms hit peak bloom on March 26, 2026, several days ahead of the National Park Service's original forecast of March 29 to April 1. The 2025 season peaked March 28. Both years landed in the typical late-March window that the NPS has tracked for more than a century. The National Cherry Blossom Festival runs each spring across the city to mark the occasion.
The 2026 season, by the numbers
Peak bloom was confirmed on March 26, 2026, and the festival ran March 20 to April 12. That put 2026 peak bloom several days ahead of the NPS's original forecast of March 29 to April 1. The March 26 peak marked the seventh straight earlier-than-normal bloom; on average, peak bloom occurs on March 29.
The National Park Service announced that peak bloom had officially arrived in the nation's capital. NPS defines peak bloom as the period when at least 70% of the blossoms on the Yoshino cherry trees are open. Peak bloom typically lasts three to seven days.
How 2026 compared to recent years
Cherry blossoms in Washington DC typically reach peak bloom in late March or early April. Peak bloom in 2026 was March 26; 2025 was March 28; 2024 was an unusually early March 17.
Cool, calm weather can extend the bloom, while rainy, windy days can end it abruptly, NPS officials say. A late frost can prevent blooming altogether.
How the NPS tracks and predicts peak bloom
The agency does not simply eyeball the trees. NPS counts "degree days," when the high temp each day contributes to a grand total of 217. The agency also watches the "indicator tree," which reliably blooms about two weeks ahead of the others, plus historic patterns, including when other trees start to flower.
The bloom unfolds in stages: green buds appear, florets become visible, florets extend, peduncles elongate, and puffy white petals emerge before full bloom.
Just remember that "forecasting peak bloom is almost impossible more than 10 days in advance," according to the NPS. The agency updates its Bloom Watch page weekly through March.
Where to see them
The most popular place to view Washington's blossoms is along the Tidal Basin, where the bulk of the city's 3,700-plus cherry trees reside, though you can also view them at Hains Point in East Potomac Park and on the National Mall by the Washington Monument.
For those who wish to see the cherry blossoms from afar, enthusiasts can watch via the live BloomCam on the NPS website. Picking blossoms is against the law, and the NPS asks visitors to avoid touching them while posing for photos.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is held each year to commemorate the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to Washington, DC. The 2026 festival ran March 20 to April 12 and included events throughout the city.
Highlights of recent festivals have included an opening ceremony and annual lantern lighting at the Warner Theatre, the Blossom Kite Festival on the Mall, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade (tickets $25 to $40 per person). The National Wharf also hosts a free cherry blossom-themed celebration called Bloomaroo, featuring live music and fireworks.
A quick history of the trees
Japan first sent about 2,000 cherry trees to Washington, DC in 1910 as a symbol of friendship, but the trees arrived infested with insects and disease and had to be destroyed. Two years later, in 1912, Japan sent 3,020 cherry trees. The first two were planted along the Tidal Basin by Viscountess Chinda, the wife of the Japanese ambassador, and First Lady Helen Taft, starting what would become one of DC's most celebrated traditions.
On March 27, 1912, the first trees were planted at the Tidal Basin by First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Iwa Chinda. Those two trees on the northwest side of the Tidal Basin are still alive today.
Between 2002 and 2006, four hundred trees propagated from the surviving 1912 donation were planted to preserve the genetic lineage. In 2011, approximately 120 propagates from the surviving 1912 trees were sent back to Japan to the Japan Cherry Blossom Association for the same reason.
The US is also set to receive 250 more cherry blossom trees from Japan, a gift the Japanese embassy announced earlier this year, tied to America's 250th birthday.
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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.
