The National Cherry Blossom Festival held a press conference this morning to announce the predicted peak blooming dates for Washington, D.C.’s famous flowers. The Post’s Going Out Gurus report that Robert DeFeo, the chief horticulturist for the National Park Service, has determined peak dates will be between March 27 and April 3.

As the GOGs point out, the Cherry Blossom Festival itself runs from March 29 to April 13, with the parade scheduled for Saturday, April 12, so the blossoms look like they might well peak before many of the main festivities get underway — which for local residents could actually be good news, given that tourists may not start arriving en masse to see the blossoms around the Tidal Basin until the festival gets underway. The smart move will be to schedule some time to get down to see them at the beginning of the predicted peak period. In our experience, the early morning hours on weekdays, just after the sunrise, are the ideal time to take a quiet walk amidst the blossoms, while weekend afternoons and early evenings are the absolute worst in terms of crowds.

Grandstand tickets for the parade are already on sale for $15 each. Grab some up now if you’re planning on going.

Photo by Cordileran