There’s nothing quite like Washington, D.C. in the spring. The weather may be a little sketchy – fluctuating from winter chill one day to summer heat the next (or sometimes on the same day) – but the city is at its peak pretty thanks to thousands of cherry blossom trees in full bloom. The flowering trees gifted to the nation’s capital by Japan over 110 years ago are celebrated annually during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which is currently underway. This year, the festivities include the cultural event Jazz & Blossoms featuring Bilal, Pete Rock & The Soul Brothers and local performers and DJs on Saturday, April 8th.
Jazz & Blossoms is a free outdoor park jam scheduled to take over Franklin Park with jams from 2 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. this Saturday. The all-ages event has family-friendly fun and games, food trucks, vendors, art installations, giveaways, entertainment and, of course, plenty of music planned.
GRAMMY nominee Bilal has been tapped to headline Jazz & Blossoms with his eclectic soul. Legendary hip-hop artist and producer Pete Rock will be there with The Soul Brothers. Jazz bandleader Imani Grace And Her Big Black Band will take the stage as well as singer-songwriter Ayo. DJ John Murph and DJ Divine and Big Tone All Day of Daylight DC have their sights set on moving the crowd throughout the day on the turntables.
This event is produced by Words Beats & Life and DowntownDC BID and is also a part of this year’s Words Beats & Life Festival celebrating jazz, poetry and hip-hop. The festival has a number of exciting activities happening now through Sunday, April 9th. Visit the WBL website for more information and to see everything they’ve got going on.
If you’re in the DMV area and looking to be outside amongst the cherry blossom trees this weekend, Jazz & Blossoms sounds like a sure thing for a great time. The event is free with RSVP on Eventbrite. Jazz & Blossoms’ Franklin Park location is at 1315 I Street, NW, Washington, D.C. and is Metro accessible on the Blue, Silver and Orange lines to the McPherson Square Station.