For months, artist Tim Yanke grappled with how to make his work stand out.
After learning he had been selected to create the official artwork for the 2026 National Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C., he wanted to make something that would be untraditional. It couldn’t just be a painting with a cherry tree and the Washington Monument, he thought.
It took eight months to plan and execute, but Yanke’s vision was unveiled Thursday in Georgetown.
While it does feature cherry blossoms and the Washington Monument, the final piece also includes butterflies to represent the 13 colonies and hidden lyrics from songs such as “God Bless America,” which inspired Yanke to feature the words “from sea to shining sea.”
Yanke said the butterflies serve as “an important symbolism, especially in Native American life. It’s everlasting life, renewal, self-transformation and kindness.”
He hopes viewers see unity, happiness and peace in the artwork.
‘The spirit of DC’
During an event at Sequoia, city leaders and event organizers gathered to reveal plans for next year’s festival.
“It celebrates beauty and spring, but even more than that, it celebrates the spirit of D.C.,” Kimberly Bassett, who serves as D.C. secretary, said of the weekslong festival. “It’s a living reminder of the friendship between Japan and the United States.”
That relationship, Bassett said, started with a gift of 3,000 cherry trees. And, to honor America’s 250th birthday, Japan is gifting 250 new cherry blossom trees.
“To mark this historic milestone, these new trees will stand alongside the original cherry trees as a symbol of peace, respect and renewal,” Bassett said.
Next year’s festival, which is scheduled to run from March 20 to April 12, will start with an opening ceremony at DAR Constitution Hall — the first time the venue will host the event.
Diana Mayhew, the festival’s president and CEO, said it will “nearly double the number of attendees that we’ll be able to accommodate, to see a once-in-a-lifetime show with these world-class Japanese performers.”
Many of the festival’s popular events are returning next year, Mayhew said.
“It’s a sense of happiness, joy, renewal, no matter what’s happening in this world,” Mayhew told WTOP. “The festival comes and people are happy and joyous.”
Festival visitors drive more than $200 million in economy activity for D.C., Bassett said.
The 2026 festival celebrates the 114th anniversary of the gift of 3,000 Japanese cherry trees that are planted around the Tidal Basin in D.C.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
