Sakura Matsuri - Japanese Street Festival

First held in 1961, the Sakura Matsuri - Japanese Street Festival is now the largest one-day exhibition of Japanese culture in the United States. Stretching for nearly one mile through the streets of downtown Washington DC, from near the White House to FBI headquarters, the Sakura Matsuri is held each spring as the climax of the two-week National Cherry Blos som Festival. On good weather days, it has drawn over 140,000 visitors in 7 hours. The Sakura Matsuri is a free, family-friendly festival. There are over 15 vendors of Japanese food, two beer gardens, 30 exhibitors of Japanese arts and culture, 15 vendors of Japanese products, and over 30 hours of live performances on five stages, including traditional and popular Japanese music and dance and martial arts demonstrations.