Cherry blossoms after dark

When is the National Cherry Blossom Festival in 2027?

From 20 March to 11 April 2027, per the festival's own site. It is the centennial: “What began in 1927 has grown into D.C.'s longest-running festival.”

The festival calls 2027 “a Century of Celebration”, marking 100 years of the event and of the friendship behind Japan's gift of trees. The first two trees were planted on the north bank of the Tidal Basin on 27 March 1912 by First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, per the National Park Service. That gift was 3,020 trees of 12 varieties, 1,800 of them Somei-Yoshino.

For a night visitor the new event to note is Night in Bloom, an illuminated procession on 2 April, listed as free. Petalpalooza on 3 April runs until 9 p.m., at Navy Yard rather than the Tidal Basin.

When will the cherry blossoms peak in 2027?

Nobody knows yet. The National Park Service says peak bloom most often falls between the last week of March and the first week of April, and it usually announces its forecast in early March.

Peak bloom is the day 70% of the Yoshino cherry blossoms are open. In 2026 it came on 26 March. The records run from 15 March (1990) to 18 April (1958), and the NPS horticulturists who track the buds through five stages, from green bud to puffy white, say forecasting is almost impossible more than 10 days ahead.

The blossoms usually last several days after peak. Cool, calm weather stretches that; rain or wind can end it fast. A night tour with free cancellation up to 24 hours before lets you book a date now and move it once the forecast is out.

Can you see the cherry blossoms at night?

Yes. The Tidal Basin is part of National Mall and Memorial Parks, open 24 hours a day, and the Jefferson Memorial across the water is lit after dark.

The Tidal Basin Loop Trail is about 2 miles, level and wheelchair accessible, and passes the Jefferson, MLK and FDR memorials; the National Park Service allows 1 to 3 hours for it. At night the white blossom picks up the light from the memorials and the path, and the crowds of the afternoon thin out. Rangers are on duty until 10 p.m.

Keep to the paths: the NPS warns that monument stones can be slippery when wet, and spring evenings are often damp. Bikes and scooters are not allowed inside the memorials, so walk them through FDR. Our Mall safety guide has the U.S. Park Police number and the rest of the NPS advice.

Sunrise or after dark: when are the blossoms best?

Both work, for different reasons. Sunrise gives soft light and the quietest paths; after dark you get the lit memorials behind the trees and evenings free of the day's crowds.

The National Park Service lists the Tidal Basin loop for day, dawn and dusk. Sunset in blossom season falls between about 7:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m., so a night visit starts after 8 p.m. and a sunset walk starts about an hour before. Metro runs until about midnight Sunday to Thursday and about 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and first trains leave the Smithsonian station from about 5:20 a.m. on weekdays and 6:20 a.m. at weekends.

If you only have one slot, go at dusk. The Washington Monument doubled in the Reflecting Pool, Lincoln glowing at the far end, and blossom along the water all fit into one evening, and our guide to the best memorials at night gives the order.

Which night tour includes the cherry blossoms?

The 10-stop night tour. In cherry blossom season, typically late March to early April, the listing adds time to walk along and see the trees up close.

The 10-stop night tour runs 3 hours by temperature-controlled coach, with a guide who walks you through the sites. Stops are the National Archives, the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the World War II, MLK, Korean War, Lincoln, Vietnam and Vietnam Women's memorials and the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial. If the trees are not in bloom on your date, the stops stay the same, per the listing. It is not suitable for people with mobility impairments.

Yvonne (Apr 2026), in blossom season: “Sally was our guide, she was great fun, engaging with everyone and full of interesting anecdotes and stories about Washington's famous monuments and characters.” Monuments by Moonlight is the other spring option: its first stop gives you 30 minutes at the MLK and FDR memorials, both on the Tidal Basin.

Ten stops by coach with a guide, and in blossom season a walk among the cherry trees, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

★ 4.6 · 3 hours · from $68

Explore the 10-stop night tour → Tour details

How do you plan a blossom evening in 2027?

Pick two or three dates in the likely window, book a night tour with free cancellation, and move it once the National Park Service forecast comes out in March.

Take Metro. The NPS calls public transportation the best way to reach the Mall, and Smithsonian station is on the Mall at 12th Street. Mall meters cost $2.30 an hour with a 3-hour limit at most, enforced from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Hains Point has about 520 free spaces.

Want to go up the Washington Monument the same week? Tickets for 2 April 2027, the Night in Bloom day, are released on Recreation.gov at 10 a.m. on 3 March 2027. The whole system is in our Washington Monument tickets post, and the walk between the Tidal Basin memorials is in our walking guide.

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