March 25, 2025 - Showbiz Shadows

While there’s not a huge change since yesterday, more cherry blossoms are coming out each day. Slowly but steadily, more trees are flowering. Later this week and through the weekend (and probably through much of next week), they’ll be looking spectacular.

There are still many that are yet to fully flower. Not every tree is on exactly the same schedule, and there are variations as you walk around the Tidal Basin.

If you start at the MLK Memorial, it will look like everything is in full bloom. Most of the trees in and around the MLK memorial are in full bloom.

But as you move to other areas of the Tidal Basin, you’ll find many trees that aren’t yet flowering or that might, at most, have only a few flowers showing.

And you can even find trees where it breaks down even more, with one branch in full bloom and the other branches on the same tree not yet flowering. So if you start near the paddle boats and are disappointed that the trees aren’t fully flowering there yet, head on over to the MLK Memorial.

All in all, it’s shaping up for them to be looking stunning later this week and through the weekend. You won’t be disappointed if you go down there now—there are plenty of blossoms out to enjoy—but there’ll be even more over the coming days.

I’ve got a lot of logistical information below. But first, here are some photos to give a sense of how it’s looking as of this morning.

TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, as seen on March 25, 2025. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel. Download or license this image.

TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, as seen on March 25, 2025. You can clearly see here a mix of trees that are starting to flower and others that aren’t quite there yet. This stretch is over in front of the FDR Memorial. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel

TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, as seen on March 25, 2025. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel

TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, as seen on March 25, 2025. Many trees are currently like this, with a mix of some flowers and many buds yet to pop. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel

TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, as seen on March 25, 2025. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel

TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, as seen on March 25, 2025. This is at the MLK Memorial, where a high proportion of the trees are currently flowering. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel

TIDAL BASIN, Washington DC — Washington DC’s famous cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, as seen on March 25, 2025. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel

This coming weekend (March 29-30) is going to be primetime for the cherry blossoms. And right now, it looks like the weather might cooperate wonderfully.

If you plan on going, the cherry blossoms will look spectacular. But expect crowds. And for those that haven’t been there for a prime viewing weekend of the cherry blossoms, I’ll emphasize the point: it will be crowded.

It will be a good weekend for finding an alternative means of getting there than driving and parking. But I also recognize that that’s not always possible; you can find some logistical information on getting there and parking below.

Please don’t climb on the trees, pick the flowers, or break off branches.
Please be careful on the walking paths. There’s no railing around most of the Tidal Basin, and some areas are quite uneven and muddy.
Please dispose of any trash thoughtfully. The trash collection often gets overwhelmed at this time of year. There are trash cans around the Tidal Basin, but it’s never nearly enough to deal with the huge influx of visitors that come during a full bloom weekend.
It is a no drone zone. And it’s strictly enforced for all sorts of good reasons.
If you get a chance, it would be a nice touch to thank the NPS rangers and staff. I’m sure they’d appreciate it.
The National Park Service has set up the Welcome Area on West Basin Drive, so it’s closed off to traffic and now open for business. West Basin Drive will remain closed through April 11.
Ohio Drive is currently open as normal (with the exception of the end up by the Lincoln Memorial, which the new road compensates for).
It seems I was misinformed about plans for the paddle boat parking lot (aka the Main Ave SW parking lot). It is now closed to parking until April 8. They’ve put in a temporary beer garden and a few food trucks.
The Paddle Boats are open. It’s walk-up only until mid-April.
There are no special traffic restrictions on Ohio Drive yet. Expect that to be in place for the coming weekend.

There’s a lot happening around the National Mall at the moment in the lead-up to the 250th celebrations next year.

To give a sense of what to expect if you visit for the cherry blossoms in Spring 2025, I’ve posted some rundowns of activity at various major sites.

There’s nothing particular happening at the MLK, FDR, and World War II Memorials, so I won’t post separate overviews of those.

Many of these photos are available to license for personal use or editorial publishing. You can find them here.

I also have prints (framed and unframed) available here.

Here are some recommendations for books on DC’s cherry blossoms. They’re interesting reads for anyone planning a visit (or even as gifts for those who can’t make it this year).

Images and product information from Amazon Product Advertising API were last updated on 2025-03-25 at 12:03.

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