Cherry Blossom Festival Parade preparations, rehearsals underway
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) – With less than 24 hours until the start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, final preparations and rehearsals are well underway for the big day Saturday.
Float builders have been working to build massive pink floral displays at the D.C. Armory for several days, the festival says.
“These floats are conceived six or seven months out, they start being built, then they bring the structures here to the Armory,” said National Cherry Blossom Festival President, Diana Mayhew.
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Final touches are going on floats Friday night and right up until the parade kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Floats from Metro, Events DC, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and more are almost ready to take off down Constitution Ave.
Rehearsals for dance teams coming in from across the country were underway Friday night, too. Dozens of dancers came together to practice moves they’ve been working on for weeks at the University of the District of Columbia’s Dr. Edwin Bancroft Henderson Sports Center.
Cherry blossom trees donated by the festival decorate the school’s campus and the university is a sponsor for this year’s parade.
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The parade caps off the weeks-long National Cherry Blossom Festival, but the work that goes into these floats and festivities started long before peak bloom.
“The city will continue to bloom tomorrow along Constitution Ave. We’ll have 15 marching bands from across the country, performances and special appearances,” said Mayhew.
Mayhew says the festival team is already planning ahead for next year’s celebration.
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