I have lived in the Washington, DC area for the last 15 years and I’ve wanted to attend the Blossom Kite Festival for nearly as long. Unfortunately, each year I would miss the event because I’d find out about it after the fact. Well, NOT THIS YEAR!!!
The Blossom Kite Festival is one of many events planned during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, in Washington, DC. This year I used the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s website to stay on top of all of the festivities taking place in the city. The 2019 National Chery Blossom Festival was March 31-April 14th and the Blossom Kite Festival was held March 31st.
The Blossom Kite Festival takes place on the grounds of the Washington Monument, near 15th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., in DC. There is no cost to attend. But the Kite Festival is usually scheduled during peak bloom for the cherry blossoms, which means that droves of people will be visiting the National Mall to see them. Which makes finding parking near the attractions difficult. So, anticipate paying a fee to park.
We made the mistake of driving directly to the Tidal Basin and immediately regretted the decision. We were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for about 30 minutes.
We ultimately decided to park near Union Station and catch the DC Metro to the Smithsonian Metro Stop.
When we exited the Metro we realized that the crowds were so large that even the sidewalks were crowded. Despite having to change our plans and walk a few blocks to get to the Blossom Kite festivities, seeing hundreds of kites in flight with the Washington Monument as a backdrop made the journey worth it.
There were so many families sprawled across the National Mall, either participating with their own kites or just watching as others tried to get their kites airborne. If you decide to attend next year, you can bring a kite you already have, or make your own at the Kite Makers activity station on the Public Field. During the festival, there are kite flying competitions for young ones and professionals alike, to include a Hot Tricks Showdown, and Rokkaku Battle. All information about events scheduled during the National Cherry Blossom Festival can be found here.
Here are some of our favorite photos from this year’s Blossom Kite Festival.
We spent most of our time at the festival trying and failing to get our kite off of the ground. Unfortunately, it had been a while since my husband and I had flown kites.
There were a plethora of food options from the more than dozen food trucks lined up along 14th Street.
The food trucks are visible at the left side of this panoramic picture.
Some of the lines for the more popular trucks were really long. It was a warm day when we attended the Kite Festival. We opted to get ice pops but we had to wait for a little over 30 minutes to get them from an ice cream truck.
My little ones had an amazing time at this fun-filled event that catered to their interests. We are definitely planning to make this an annual tradition.
TIPS:
1. If you decide to attend the Blossom Kite Festival, pay to park and either catch an Uber/Taxi or walk along the National Mall to the Washington Monument to avoid the terrible traffic near the festivities.
2. Bring a blanket so you and your family can sit and enjoy the show as professional and novice kite flyers show off their skills.
3. If you don’t want to bring your own lunch, don’t fret…there will be plenty of places to eat along the National Mall.