National Cherry Blossom Festival Wins 11 Awards From International Festivals And Events Association For 2019 Festivities

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is thrilled to have won 11 coveted Pinnacle Awards from the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA). Each year, IFEA recognizes outstanding accomplishments and top quality creative, promotional, operational and community outreach programs and materials produced by festivals and events around the world. The Festival came in first place (Gold) in five categories, and third place (Bronze) in the esteemed Grand Pinnacle Award category, the highest award given by the IFEA in recognition of those festivals and events who have a balance of all the elements necessary to ensure a successful event. 

This year, the Festival won:

• BRONZE: Grand Pinnacle
• GOLD: Best Full Length TV Program for the local broadcast of the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade presented by Events DC
• GOLD: Best Media Relations Campaign
• GOLD: Best Commemorative Poster, created by Simon Bull
• GOLD: Best Pin, for the 2019 Commemorative Lapel Pin
• GOLD: Best Overall Merchandising Program, including custom pieces inspired by the Official Artwork
• SILVER: Best Single New Sponsorship Opportunity, for Cherry Blast presented by MGM National Harbor
• SILVER: Best Event Within an Existing Festival, for Petalpalooza presented by Chase
• BRONZE: Best Organizational Website
• BRONZE: Best Sponsorship Program for an Individual Sponsor, for the Paws & Petals Program with Mars Petcare
• BRONZE: Best Volunteer Program

The 2019 Festival brought a record-breaking 1.6 million people from across the world together to celebrate spring in Washington, DC and honor the 107th anniversary of the gift of trees from Japan with outstanding programming spanning four signature weekends.

“It’s a great honor for the National Cherry Blossom Festival to be recognized as an industry leader on a global scale,” said Diana Mayhew, President of the Festival. “Thank you to our community partners, sponsors, supporters, volunteers, attendees, and IFEA for recognizing the Festival as one of the world’s top events.”

Planning for the 2020 Festival (March 20 – April 12, 2020) is already underway, and tickets for the Parade will be available to the public starting October 1. The Festival’s launch event will take place on November 6 at District Winery, where the new 2020 artwork will be unveiled in addition to exciting announcements about the upcoming Festival.

Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, IFEA is The Premiere Association Supporting and Enabling Festival & Event Professionals Worldwide. For a complete list of winners and more information, go to www.ifea.com.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the world’s great celebrations of spring. The 2020 Festival, March 20 – April 12, includes four weeks of events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. Visit nationalcherryblossomfestival.org or call 877.44.BLOOM for more information, or check out Facebook (CherryBlossomFestival), Twitter (@CherryBlossFest), and Instagram (@CherryBlossFest).