Cherry Blossom Festival Parade Canceled Due to Coronavirus

The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C. has been canceled due to coronavirus precautions, the festival organization said in a statement. 

“Our priority continues to be the health and safety of our staff, guests and all Festival supporters and as such we are following the recommendations of national and global health experts,” said Diana Mayhew, president and CEO of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The parade was scheduled for Saturday, April 4. 

Petalpalooza, another festival event, is also canceled. It was scheduled for Saturday, April 11. 

Two other events have been postponed. The Japan America Society’s Sakura Matsuri – Japanese Street Festival originally set for April 4 has been postponed to a future date to be determined. The Anacostia River Festival set for April 5 has been postponed to Sunday, Aug. 9. 

Cherry Blossom trees have reached Stage 4. The National Mall National Park Service says white petals should start to show soon. 

Here's a shot of good news for the nation's capital: cherry trees have reached Stage 4 – PEDUNCLE ELONGATION!! We should start seeing the white petals soon and peak bloom on average occurs just over eight days later! #BloomWatch #CherryBlossomDC @CherryBlossFest pic.twitter.com/KjnimJSRGw

— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) March 12, 2020

About Maryam Shahzad

Maryam is a reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. Previously, she was an intern with MCM. She can be reached at mshahzad@mymcmedia.org or on Twitter @maryam_mcm.

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