Sakura Matsuri – Japanese Street Festival Postponement

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. has decided to postpone the 2021 Sakura Matsuri- Japanese Street Festival. The decision to postpone the Street Festival is not related to other events currently scheduled as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. For updates on the National Cherry Blossom Festival visit http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back to Pennsylvania Ave. for the 60th anniversary of the festival in 2022.  In the meantime, we plan to host several community events and a virtual Sakura Speakers series over the coming months in celebration of D.C.’s cherry blossom season. Please follow JASWDC Twitter (@jas_wdc), Facebook (@jas.wdc), and Instagram (@jaswdc) feeds for further information and updates.

This has been a difficult decision for all of us. We would like to express our deepest thanks to our community, our tens of thousands of attendees, hundreds of dedicated volunteers, superb national and international performers and vendors, and outstanding sponsors and supporters. Thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding.

Amid these difficult decisions, the Society is excited to announce it will be hosting the 29th National Japan Bowl virtually for the second year running. With an updated competition platform and even more special guests, we look forward to seeing all the students to put their hard work to the test! The 29th National Japan Bowl will be held from 12-9PM EST on April 8 & 9, 2021.

Thank you again for your continued support and understanding through this challenging time.

Press Inquiries:

For more information, contact Olivia Kent at the Japan-America Society of Washington DC, 202-833-2210, or okent@jaswdc.org.

About the Japan-America Society

The Japan-America Society of Washington DC is a 501(c)(3) educational and cultural non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the relationship between Japan and the U.S. at the grassroots public diplomacy level. Our programming aims to bring Japanese and American people closer together in the Nation’s Capital area.

More information on Sakura Matsuri and the Japan-America Society of Washington DC can be found here:

Sakura Matsuri Website: www.sakuramatsuri.org

Japan-America Society of Washington DC Website:  www.jaswdc.org