National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade 2013

The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade is one of Washington, DC’s largest public events of the year, drawing about 100,000 spectators from around the world. The parade combines wonderful entertainment for the whole family including decorated floats, gigantic colorful helium balloons, marching bands, clowns, horses, antique cars, military and celebrity performances, the National Cherry Blossom Festival® All-Star Youth Tap Dance Team and Choir, and various cultural performing groups. Radio personality and local favorite Loo from WASH-FM will host this year's event. WUSA 9 will air the parade locally in a delayed telecast from noon to 2:00 p.m.

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2013 Entertainment Highlights

• DC-native and Grammy Award-winning artist Mýa, an internationally renowned singer, songwriter, producer, model, and philanthropist
  
  
• Elliott Yamin from American Idol
  
  
• Miss America 2013, accompanied by Miss Outstanding Teen
  
  
• University of Maryland's GYMKANA from America's Got Talent
  
  
• The Washington Wizards Girls
  
  
• DC Rollergirls

Date and Time

April 13, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The parade is held rain or shine. Arrive around 9:00 a.m. to stake out a spot along the parade route. Following the parade is the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Don't miss the biggest Japanese street party in the nation.

Parade Route

Along Constitution Avenue, NW beginning at 7th Street and ending at 17th Street. The parade passes many Washington, DC attractions - National Archives, the Department of Justice, Smithsonian Museums, the Washington Monument and the White House. See a map of the parade route

Transportation and Parking

This is one of the biggest events of the year and parking is extremely limited. The best way to get to the parade is by Metro. The closest Metro stations are Archives/Navy Memorial, Federal Triangle and Smithsonian. For more information about getting to the festival, see Cherry Blossom Festival Transportation Guide

Seating and Tickets

The parade is free and open to the public. For $20 you may purchase a reserved grandstand seat.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week, city-wide event featuring more than 200 international cultural performances and over 90 other special events. See the schedule of the National Cherry Blossom events