Friday, March 28, 2008

Cheap Dates

2008 National Cherry Blossom Festival
The National Cherry Blossom Festival begins Saturday with an opening ceremony at the National Building Museum from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Opening day marks the beginning of the two-week long, citywide celebration of the cherry blossoms and the beginning of spring in Washington, D.C.

The 2008 festival runs from Saturday until April 13 and features daily cultural performances, sporting events, arts and crafts, demonstrations, and other special events. This year’s festival celebrates the 96th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the citizens of the United States and Japan.

Opening day festivities include an appearance by Miss Universe Riyo Mori, originally of Shizuoka, Japan, and an opening performance by Tateshina High School, an all-female jazz band from Japan whose formation was inspired by the Japanese film “Swing Girls,” and the Howard University Jazz Ensemble.

For more information about the festival, visit http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org or call the festival hotline at 877-44BLOOM.

Festival events are free, unless otherwise noted, and include:

Blossom Secrets Stroll, a two-hour walking tour features tidbits about cherry trees and noteworthy arboreal cousins. The tours are Mondays and Fridays at 10 a.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., beginning Saturday.

Meet the guide outside the Smithsonian Metro station’s Independence Avenue SW exit - 12th Street NW and Independence Avenue SW. Cost is $10 per person; free to children under age 3.

Build your own kite and enter the handmade kite competition at the 42nd Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Washington Monument Grounds, Constitution Avenue and 17th Street. NW. Come cheer for your favorite kite in the traditional Rokkaku battle and visit booths that demonstrate Chinese kite-making and the history of Chinese kites.

Enjoy the National Cherry Blossom Festival Fireworks Show, April 5, 8:30 to 9 p.m. at the Southwest Waterfront, 7th Street and Maine Avenue SW. Best viewing is at East Potomac Park or the Southwest Waterfront promenade.

See the magic of the Lantern Lighting Ceremony, April 6, 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Tidal Basin at Independence Avenue and 17th Street SW.

Southwest Airlines Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, features marching bands, floats, balloons, and other family entertainment, April 12, 10 a.m. to Noon, Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th streets NW.

Cost is $15 per person for grandstand seating; FREE along parade route.

After the parade, stay for the 48th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival, takes place April 12, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Pennsylvania Avenue between 14th and 10th streets, and 12th Street between Pennsylvania and Constitution avenues. It is the nation’s largest Japanese street festival and features more than 75 vendors of Japanese and Asian cuisine, arts and crafts and other products, and live performances of traditional and popular Japanese cultural arts.