First Anacostia River Festival to Conclude 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival

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Date: February 5, 2015
Contact: Nate Adams or Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles (National Park Service), 202.619.7400
Contact: Travis Hare (11th Street Bridge Park), 202.643.7542
Contact: Danielle Davis (National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc.), 202.638.8374

WASHINGTON—The first-ever Anacostia River Festival will celebrate the history, ecology and communities along the banks of the Anacostia River. The 11th Street Bridge Park and the National Park Service present the event, which will offer free kayaking and canoeing, musical performances, fishing and water filtration workshops, live birds of prey demonstration, a photography exhibition and a bike parade. The Anacostia River Festival is a premier event and official closing of the 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival.


WHEN: Sunday, April 12, 2015, noon –4 p.m.
WHERE: National Park Service's Anacostia Park. Good Hope Road and Anacostia Drive SE
COST:Free–Family Friendly Event

"We are so excited to be a part of this year's National Cherry Blossom Festival and look forward to the positive exposure it will bring to East of the River neighborhoods as well as the 11th Street Bridge Park," said Scott Kratz, director of the 11th Street Bridge Park, a collaborative project of the D.C. City Government and non-profit Building Bridges Across the River at THEARC transforming an old freeway into a new civic space scheduled to open in 2018. "The Anacostia River is a stunning, but often forgotten, natural resource hiding in plain sight and, by collaborating with a number of existing groups, we aim to re-engage residents with this amazing urban watershed." 

The event will bring people from across the city and throughout the region to participate in hands-on art workshops, dragon boat rides, a community sing along, urban archaeology, community bicycle rides, boating and other fun activities to connect families with the natural world.

"The Anacostia is poised for a renaissance," National Park Service Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail said. "The National Park Service is committed to helping people discover the beauty, fun and possibilities in Anacostia Park, and I hope that events like the River Festival inspire people –especially young people –to visit and get involved."

Held in Anacostia Park, one of America's national parks, and steps away from the future 11thStreet Bridge Park, the event is free of charge and is a new premier offering that culminates the 2015 National Cherry Blossom Festival.

"We look forward to spreading the springtime celebration and gift of trees beyond the Tidal Basin with the new Anacostia River Festival," said Diana Mayhew, president of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. "At its heart, the Festival is about community, and we are thrilled to expand its roots with this annual event East of the River."

The Anacostia River Festival is supported by the 11th Street Bridge Park and the National Park Service in partnership with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, with additional funds from Bloomberg. Other supporters include City First Bank of DC, National Park Conservation Association and Kendra Rubinfeld PR. Programming partners include: Anacostia Community Boathouse Association, Anacostia Riverkeeper, Anacostia Watershed Society, ARCH Development Corporation, ArtReach at THEARC,Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, DC Water, District Department of the Environment, Earth Conservation Corps, Groundwork Anacostia River DC, Historic Anacostia Boating Association, Illumination Coalition, Levine Music, National Museum of the United States Navy, National Parks Conservation Association, The Nature Conservancy, Pearl Coalition, The Phillips Collection, Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, University of Maryland, University of the District of Columbia, U.S. Coast Guard, Ward 8 Arts &Culture Council, Washington Area Bicyclist Association and Washington Performing Arts.



Last updated: April 10, 2015

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