DC Cherry Blossom Bus visits downtown Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Washington, D.C.'s Cherry Blossom Bus Tour is bringing a bit of spring to downtown Philadelphia. It's all to encourage people across the Northeast to experience spring in Washington.
The four-day tour is promoting the National Cherry Blossom Festival across five cities with stops in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
On Tuesday, the bus will make a stop at the Comcast Center in Center City for an #ExperienceDC Cherry Blossom pop-up between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The pop-up will feature a DJ, Washington tourism giveaways, a paper cherry blossom craft workshop and live art.
The festival runs from March 20 to April 16 and attracts more than 1.5 million people annually showcasing the vibrant blooms of 3,000 cherry trees along the Tidal Basin.
The cherry trees have symbolized the friendship and intercultural connection between Tokyo, Japan and Washington for over 100 years. The celebration of cherry tree blooms is a centuries-old Japanese tradition. In 1912, cherry blossom trees were planted in Washington as a gift from the people of Japan.
At the end of its tour, the bus will head back to Washington for the National Park Service's official announcement of peak bloom dates on March 1.