Peak Bloom Pushed Back Again As Cherry Blossom Festival Begins
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Cherry Blossom Festival is in full swing in Washington D.C. after Sunday's opening ceremony.
The opening ceremony was held from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Warner Theatre. The festival is meant to celebrate the anniversary of the Japan's gift of the trees to the United States.
Performers included T.M. Revolution, Akiko Yano, The 6821 Quintet and the Shodo Girls from Fukuoka Prefectural Yahata Chuo High School.
Thank you to the @japanfoundation for co-presenting our Opening Ceremony. Tonight's outstanding acts from Japan incl Shodo Girls, Akiko Yano, The 6821 Quintet, and T.M.Revolution. Watch live starting at 5: https://t.co/I8ZwGMpdut pic.twitter.com/vyak7IjjWb
— National Cherry Blossom Festival ???? (@CherryBlossFest) March 25, 2018
The ceremony was originally scheduled for Saturday, March 24, but was pushed back a day due to the anticipated crowds for March For Our Lives.
However, peak bloom dates have been pushed back for a second time due to cold temperatures. Despite an original date of March 17-20, it was first pushed back to March 27-31, and now from April 8-12.
RELATED: Cherry Blossoms Peak Bloom Dates Pushed Back Due To Cold
The peak bloom date is defined as the day when 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry trees are in bloom, according to the National Park Service.
PEAK BLOOM UPDATE: BRRRRRR!!!! With continued colder than average temps (Feb was warmer than March has been this year), the blossoms lack the heating degrees needed to keep the #BloomWatch on track. And with no warmup on the horizon, peak bloom is now forecast for April 8-12. pic.twitter.com/3CkrSNJp3O
— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) March 23, 2018
Peak bloom is still expected to coincide with the festival. The festival ends on April 15.
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