National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade

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Web: NationalCherry BlossomFestival.org

Email: Contact Us

Phone: 610-692-7233

If you're interested in entering your band in the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, please request an application from Todd Marcocci at the contact info above or click here for the online band application.

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The National Cherry Blossom Festival invites marching bands from across the country to join hundreds of performers, volunteers and specialty participants to be showcased in a pageantry of color and entertainment that is the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade presented by Events DC.

Each year, the Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo to Washington, DC and heralds spring across the country. Annually in March and April, the Festival welcomes over one million people to the nation's capital for 25 days of programming focused on traditional and contemporary arts and culture, community spirit, and the environment.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade culminates the four-week celebration with a two-hour procession along Constitution Avenue that draws an on-site audience of more than 150,000 and is nationally syndicated to an estimated 82% of US television markets (check local listings for dates and times). In Washington, D.C., the parade will be broadcast on ABC7 and NewsChannel 8.

A trip to Washington, D.C. provides great educational opportunities for marching band students. The 1-mile parade route travels along historic Constitution Avenue, beginning at 7th Street and ending at 17th Street. Along the way it passes the National Archives, the Department of Justice, Smithsonian Museums, the Washington Monument and the White House.

The parade accepts marching bands consisting of 100 members or more. Bands are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year with an ultimate deadline of September 15 in the year prior to the parade.

• Apoka High School Band, Florida
• Auburn High School Band, Alabama
• Bainbridge High School Band, Alabama
• Ballou High School Band, Washington, D.C.
• Bowie State University Marching Band, Maryland
• Brunswick High School Band, Georgia
• Central-Carroll High School Band, Georgia
• Chelsea High School Band, Alabama
• E.D. White High School Band, Louisiana
• Eastern High School Band, Washington, D.C.
• Enterprise High School Band, Alabama
• Hagerty High School Band, Florida
• North Oconee High School Band, Georgia
• Ola High School Band, Georgia
• Ringgold High School Band, Georgia
• Southwide High School Band, Alabama
• Stephenson High School Band, Georgia
• West Clermont High School Band, Ohio

• Parade viewing is free and open to the public on Constitution Avenue between 9th and 15th streets.
• Grandstand seating is available for $25-$40 at several prime locations along the parade route.
• Ticket information and a group ticket order form is available online at NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org.

• Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area offers countless educational opportunities for marching bands to explore while in the region for the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. For ideas of attractions to include on your itinerary, visit www.washington.org.

Saturday, April 12, 2025
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Saturday, April 10, 2027
Saturday, April 8, 2028

Web: NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org

Email: Contact Us
Phone: 610-692-7233

Online Form: Click here for the online band application.