The cherry blossoms on the National Mall should reach their peak this week/NPS file

It's cherry blossom time in Washington, D.C., with the rosé-hued flowers expected to peak with their brilliance on the National Mall between Tuesday and Friday this week.

Special programs and services will be offered by the National Park Service during the 2022 National Cherry Blossom Festival, including the Cherry Blossom Festival Tidal Basin Welcome Area, the Bloomin’ Junior Ranger program, and cherry blossom-related ranger talks and education programs. National Park Service festival events will be held daily through Sunday, April 3.

Visitor information during the festival will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET daily at the Tidal Basin Welcome Area, located on West Basin Drive on the west side of the Tidal Basin, between the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Food, souvenir, and book sales are also located in the same area, available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Schedule of Special Events

Daily, March 19 – April 3 unless otherwise noted

Tidal Basin Welcome Area - 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Begin your visit to the National Cherry Blossom Festival at the Tidal Basin Welcome Area, located on West Basin Drive on the west side of the Tidal Basin, between the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Information tents, performance stage, food and souvenir sales areas, and first aid station provide everything you need for a fun-filled visit.

Stop by the National Park Service Activity Tent to become a Cherry Blossom Protector, earn a Bloomin’ Junior Ranger badge, and participate activities related to conservation and responsible recreation.

Cherry Blossom Ranger Talk – Jefferson Memorial - 11 a.m., 3 p.m.

Join a Park Ranger and learn more about the history and lore of the cherry blossoms. Programs meet on the plaza in front of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

Education Program: Healthy Soil + Healthy Roots = Healthy Trees - Saturdays at 1 p.m.

Join a Park Ranger for this interactive education program, designed for children ages 8-12, which teaches kids that cherry trees need nutrient rich soil and strong roots in order to survive. The program will be offered each Saturday of the festival (March 19, March 26 and April 2) at 1 p.m. Program length approximately one hour; meet at the National Park Service Activity Tent in the Tidal Basin Welcome Area.

For the full schedule of National Park Service cherry blossom events, including the Anacostia River Festival to be held in Anacostia Park, as well as a history of the cherry blossoms, and the bloom watch countdown, go to www.nps.gov/cherry.

For the full schedule of events sponsored by the National Cherry Blossom Festival, see www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

If You Go

Due to extremely limited public parking, the National Park Service strongly recommends all visitors take Metro or bike to the festival. The closest Metro stop to the festival and the Tidal Basin is the Smithsonian/National Mall station. The L’Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, and Federal Triangle Metro stations are also within walking distance.

Nine Capital Bikeshare stations are available within the National Mall to provide another transportation option Scooters and e-bikes must be parked in one of 19 designated areas around the National Mall to avoid incurring the fine for parking on National Park Service property.

D.C. Circulator service is also available around the Tidal Basin, via the National Mall route. Stops near the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms include the Holocaust Memorial Museum/Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

Handicapped parking is designated on West Basin Drive at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

Through Sunday, April 3, Ohio Drive SW through West Potomac Park will be one way only (westbound) between Inlet Bridge and 23rd Street SW.