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Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC 2027 — Festival & Live Cameras
The National Cherry Blossom Festival runs Mar 20 – Apr 11, 2027 — 144 days to go. Peak bloom is the trees' call; the cameras below watch the way in. Free, no signup.
For a few weeks each spring, Washington DC belongs to the cherry trees. The 3,000 trees Tokyo gifted the city in 1912 ring the Tidal Basin, and when they bloom — thousands of Yoshino cherries opening within days of each other — the National Mall becomes the most walked garden in America, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival runs around them.
The festival's announced dates for 2027 are Mar 20 – Apr 11, 2027. What the dates cannot promise is the bloom itself: peak bloom — the day the greatest number of blossoms open — moves with the weather. Peak bloom has averaged April 3 since 1921 and March 30 since 2000 (National Park Service records); the Park Service announces its forecast for the year in early March. Plan around the festival window, trust the Park Service's March forecast over any page's October guess, this one included.
And the cameras, honestly: no public camera in the directory overlooks the Tidal Basin, so this page cannot show you a single blossom — it will not pretend otherwise. What it gathers is the nearest public coverage, across the Potomac in Virginia: the bridges and parkways that carry the festival's visitors to the trees. On a peak-bloom weekend those crossings are half the experience, and the cameras show them live: the 14th Street Bridge landing almost at the Basin's edge, Key Bridge into Georgetown, the I-395 and I-66 approaches.
The crossings & approaches — 5 km
Every public camera in the directory within 5 km of the Tidal Basin, nearest first. They sit on the Virginia bank — the 14th Street Bridge, the George Washington Parkway corridor and the Arlington approaches — because that is where the public cameras near the Basin are. Festival traffic runs over every one of them.
The wider capital region — 10 km
Every public camera within 10 km of the Tidal Basin: the crossings plus the Arlington, Alexandria and Maryland-shore approaches — the full map of getting to the blossoms, and of the city waking up around them in spring.
The two views — camera counts
| Area | Cameras |
|---|---|
| Crossings & approaches (within 5 km of the Tidal Basin) | 29 |
| The wider capital region (within 10 km) | 73 |
Counts are public cameras in the WorldEye directory per selection; the 10 km wall includes the 5 km wall. No camera in either wall overlooks the Tidal Basin itself — the nearest public cameras are the Virginia-side crossings and approaches.
How to use the cameras in blossom season
- 1Before you drive in, open the 5 km wall: the 14th Street Bridge and I-395 feeds show whether the crossing is moving or parked.
- 2Peak bloom is announced by the National Park Service, not by this page — when the forecast lands in March, the festival weekends either side of it are the busiest of the year.
- 3Weekday mornings are the local's window: the crossings run free and the Basin paths are at their quietest — check the wall and go early.
- 4Watch the weather on the region wall: the blossoms are fragile, and the first hard rain after peak ends the show — the cameras show that rain arriving over the river.
- 5The festival closes Apr 11, 2027 — the last weekend is the final call for the season.
Cherry blossoms in Washington DC — FAQ
When is the National Cherry Blossom Festival 2027?+
When will peak bloom be?+
Can I see the cherry blossoms on these cameras?+
How do the cameras help a blossom trip?+
Are the cameras free to watch?+
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