Cherry Blossom Festival Returns To Lexington Manor Passive Park March 21

LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — Nearly 200 cherry blossom trees will bloom across Lexington Manor Passive Park later this month as St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks hosts its annual Cherry Blossom Festival celebrating the arrival of spring.

The free community festival runs from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at Lexington Manor Passive Park, 21675 South Coral Drive.

Organizers say the event is designed as a family-friendly gathering highlighting the park’s cherry blossom trees while bringing together local vendors, food trucks, community organizations and entertainment throughout the afternoon.

Visitors can expect a mix of activities across the 80-acre park, including live music, balloon art, face painting, origami demonstrations and disc golf. A skateboarding area and sensory tent will also be available for visitors who may need a quiet space away from the crowds.

Local vendors and food trucks will be on site during the event, offering food, crafts and community resources, while activities such as a pony-kissing booth and family programming are intended to appeal to younger visitors.

Festival Rooted In Lexington Manor Passive Park

St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks officials said the Cherry Blossom Festival grew naturally out of the landscape and community identity of Lexington Manor Passive Park.

“The Cherry Blossom Festival is all about bringing people together in the fantastic open park space of Lexington Manor Passive Park,” said Marguerite Cardenuto, parks operations manager at St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks. “The park is home to almost 200 cherry blossom trees of the Kwanzan and Yoshino varieties, so it really comes alive in springtime and is the natural place to hold our very own Cherry Blossom Festival in Southern Maryland.”

The festival was first organized in 2017 by the Lexington Park Community Development Corporation. Today, St. Mary’s County Recreation & Parks hosts the annual spring event.

The event highlights Lexington Manor Passive Park as a community gathering space while celebrating arts, culture and local history.

“It’s really all about creating community connections and bringing people together,” Cardenuto said. “What better place to do that than outside on a beautiful day in a park with open grassy spaces and tree-lined pathways?”

Activities And Programming

This year’s festival will feature a range of free family-friendly activities throughout the park, including origami demonstrations presented by the St. Mary’s County Arts Council, balloon art, face painting and a sensory tent hosted by the Recreation & Parks Therapeutic Recreation division.

Live entertainment will include performances by The Nightingales A Cappella group and the Spring Ridge Middle School Rhythm Club. Vendors will also be on site offering food, crafts and other goods.

Organizers said the festival will also include a memorial cherry blossom tree planting honoring Mike Bell of Leonardtown, organized by friends and coworkers from Boeing.

Arts Council To Offer Hands-On Activities

The St. Mary’s County Arts Council will also host a booth during the festival, featuring information about local arts programs along with interactive activities for visitors.

“The Arts Council will be at the Cherry Blossom Festival with our table full of information, including volunteer opportunities, e-newsletter signup as well as a fun game to win an artsy prize,” said Susie Glauner, executive director of the St. Mary’s County Arts Council. “We will also have our big bin of sidewalk chalk which is always a big hit for families.”

The booth will also feature Hollywood artist Miki Gerkin, who will lead a free origami activity during the festival alongside her daughter, Sienna, a volunteer with the Arts Council.

Gerkin, who is originally from Japan, specializes in traditional Japanese fabric art created using Tsumami-Zaiku, a craft technique dating to the Edo period and traced to Kyoto in the late 1700s. She is also an artist featured at the St. Mary’s County Arts Council Gallery & Gift Shop.

During the festival, visitors will be able to create origami figures such as a paper crane, kabuto helmet or balloon, with guidance provided for all ages.

Lexington Manor Passive Park is also home to the county’s developing Arts Park, an outdoor creative space supported by the Arts Council and community partners.

“The Arts Council is proud to participate in events like the Cherry Blossom Festival which highlight the wonderful amenities our community offers,” Glauner said. “The host site, the Lexington Manor Passive Park, is the home of our growing Arts Park, and we love sharing our vision for the park with visitors.”

Lexington Manor Passive Park

Lexington Manor Passive Park spans about 80 acres and has become a growing hub for outdoor recreation, arts and community events in St. Mary’s County.

The park features walking and cycling paths, public art displays, community gardens, disc golf and open green space designed for gatherings and outdoor programming.

Home to nearly 200 cherry blossom trees, the park becomes a seasonal focal point each spring and serves as the setting for the county’s Cherry Blossom Festival.

Festival parking will be available at nearby Lancaster Park, located at 21550 Willows Road, with visitors walking or shuttling to the festival grounds.

Five Fast Facts About Cherry Blossoms In The Chesapeake Region

1. A Gift of Friendship — In 1912, Japan presented the United States with more than 3,000 flowering cherry trees, known as sakura, which were planted around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.
2. The Start of a National Festival — Those trees eventually inspired the National Cherry Blossom Festival, now one of the largest spring celebrations in the country.
3. Beyond Washington, D.C. — Today, cherry blossom trees appear across Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., planted in parks, schools and public spaces throughout the region.
4. Peak Bloom Season — Cherry blossoms in the Chesapeake region typically reach peak bloom between late March and early April.
5. A Local Spring Celebration — Community events such as the Cherry Blossom Festival in Lexington Park reflect that broader tradition, celebrating the arrival of spring and the region’s connection to the historic cherry trees of the nation’s capital.

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