DC Cherry Blossoms: 2022 peak bloom date predictions revealed
WASHINGTON - The 2022 Cherry Blossoms Peak Bloom Date Predictions have been revealed!
This year’s predictions say peak bloom will be: MARCH 22 – MARCH 25
We are just a few weeks away from the start of spring and that means it's almost cherry blossom season in the Washington D.C. region!
The famous cherry trees have been a fixture in the nation's capital for over 100 years with their beautiful blooms drawing visitors and crowds from across the area – and the world!
Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather
Typically, the trees reach peak bloom in early April – but nature doesn't always cooperate! In 2021, the trees reached peak bloom at the end of March after unseasonably warm weather.
Peak bloom can last as long as 14 days but weather conditions can sometimes shorten this period. The trees and their blossoms can be found all around the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park, in East Potomac Park (Hains Point), and on the Washington Monument grounds.
The annual National Cherry Blossom Festival runs from March 20 to April 17 this year. A variety of in-person and virtual events are planned. Officials ask that attendees be vaccinated against COVID-19 and anyone experiencing COVID-like symptoms to choose a digital option to enjoy the festival.
Many people around D.C. were excited for Monday’s Cherry Blossom news, including the announcement that the Cherry Blossom Festival will return this year after COVID-19 forced organizers to cancel the event last year.
Proper 21 Managing Partner Steve Forbes told FOX 5 that the return of the Cherry Blossom Festival, with an end to mask mandates, is hopeful news to those in the hospitality community.
"I’m calling it a renaissance, right? I think the city’s ready to come back to life. In the hospitality sector, in particular, you feel it, it’s tangible," he said. "There’s this build-up of emergency coming, and it just feels like, with the mask mandate and the vaccine mandate being done, the return of tourism is coming."
After two years of Downtown business owners dealing with COVID-19 restrictions and political interruptions, Forbes says this year’s "peak" business season is already underway – and may be the final "make or break" moment for his fellow owners.
From March to June is when Forbes said restaurants like his depend on the foot traffic associated with Downtown basketball and hockey games, planned business conferences, and from tourists coming to the District to celebrate the Cherry Blossom season.
"It’s this or bust, right? We’re all holding on by a thread," Forbes explained. "Most of the burden of this has been put on the business owners and the city. They have micro-grants and things that don’t come near the losses that we’ve suffered financially and for … staffing. So right now is our opportunity. And we realize this. We have about a three-month window to turn it around, become profitable, and be back to being a viable business. After that three months, I think places are going to have hard decisions because nobody’s going to just continue on a path of just losing."