This post will be continually updated.
I’m planning on coming to the District to see the cherry blossoms. Is there any impact on the festival, parade or events?
The National Cherry Blossom Festival has cancelled or postponed all of its major events. The opening ceremony at the Warner Theatre on March 21, the Blossom Kite Festival on March 28, the parade on April 4, and the outdoor Petalpalooza party on April 11 have all been cancelled. The Anacostia River Festival has been postponed until August 9, and the Sakura Matsuri street festival has been postponed until a future date.
At the moment, there are no restrictions on visiting the blossoms around the Tidal Basin, where peak bloom is expected to occur around March 22, though the Tidal Basin Welcome Area, run by the National Park Service, and the ANA Stage, where performances take place at the Tidal Basin, have been canceled.
What about the Smithsonian and other museums?
The Smithsonian announced on March 12 that all museums and the National Zoo would close on March 14. A statement from the institution read: “Due to the rapidly changing nature of the situation, we are not announcing a reopening date at this time and will provide updates on a week-to-week basis on our websites.” Earlier in the day, “as a public health precaution,” the Smithsonian postponed or canceled all public events through May 3, including tours and lectures.
The National Gallery of Art also announced that it will close on March 14, and tentatively plans to reopen on April 4. All public programs have been canceled; the gallery had previously announced that two upcoming NGA Nights events, scheduled to be held on Mach 12 and April 9, had been canceled “as a precautionary measure.”
On March 13, the National Archives announced that its museums and research rooms across the country would be closed “until further notice,” beginning on Saturday, March 14, and all public programs would be cancelled.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts will close from March 14 until March 31.
The Phillips Collection will close from March 14 until further notice.
Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day, which offers free admission to hundreds of museums from Alaska to Florida, has been canceled. The annual event was due to take place on April 4.
Arlington National Cemetery is closed to the public beginning March 13, though funerals will continue and Family Pass holders will be admitted for visitation as usual.
On March 12, the Library of Congress announced that it would close to the public through April 1. Public tours of the U.S. Capitol and the Capitol Visitor Center are also closed through April 1.
The National Museum of Women in the Arts announced that all tours, gallery talks and public programs have been canceled through March 31.
The Phillips Collection has postponed all public tours and events through April 3, though “special exhibits and the permanent collection remain open as usual during regular hours.”
The National Gallery of Art announced on March 10 that it had postponed an upcoming exhibition, “A Superb Baroque: Art in Genoa, 1600-1750,” because many works of art could not be shipped to the United States from Rome and Genoa. The exhibition was set to open May 3; the Italian government has announced travel restrictions and closure of public spaces through at least April 3.
What about concerts and live performances?
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has canceled or postponed all performances and public events between March 13 and March 31.
As of March 12, I.M.P., the concert production company that operates the Anthem, the 9:30 Club and the Lincoln Theatre, postponed all of its events at those venues, as well as 9:30 Club Presents shows at U Street Music Hall, through the end of March. Shows will begin again on April 1. Ticket holders can exchange tickets or get a refund when new shows are announced. U Street Music Hall has also announced that all shows will be postponed through March 31, and the club’s 10th anniversary celebrations, scheduled to begin March 14, will be rescheduled.
On March 12, the Hamilton announced that all concerts through March 27 would be postponed. The restaurant side of the Hamilton, however, will continue to operate as usual. Echostage also announced that it will be postponing all shows through the end of March.
Sixth & I has announced that all events between March 13 and the end of the month will be canceled, postponed or, when possible, streamed online, beginning with a “virtual” Shabbat on the 13th.
At Ford’s Theatre, the free preview of “Guys and Dolls” on March 13 has been canceled, but the regular performance on March 14 will go on as scheduled. After that, all performances have postponed, and will tentatively resume on April 6, with the show running through May 20.
Round House Theatre announced on March 13 that its production of “Cost of Living,” scheduled to run from April 1 to 19, has been postponed until September. The theater and facilities will remain closed through April 3.
Beginning March 13, all events at Rhizome are canceled or postponed until further notice.
Underground Comedy, which produces weekly comedy shows at the Big Hunt, Wonderland Ballroom and other bars, has canceled all shows through the end of March. (Events at the DC Drafthouse, which Underground co-produces, are still going ahead.)
Washington Performing Arts has canceled performances by the Kronos Quartet at Lisner Auditorium (March 13) and Veronica Swift at Sixth and I (March 21). The Black Love Experience, scheduled for March 21 at THEARC, has been postponed until Aug. 29.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington has postponed its performances of “Genderosity” taking place at the Lincoln Theatre on March 14 and 15.
Harry Schnipper, the executive director of Blues Alley, noted in a March 11 email that the venerable jazz club had added more staff for sanitizing and disinfecting. “We have requested our staff stay home at any sign of symptoms. We have the same request of our patrons,” and the venue will allow customers who are feeling unwell to exchange their tickets for a later date.
While not canceling performances, a number of local theaters, including Arena Stage and Signature Theatre, are encouraging customers to take advantage of their ticket exchange policies. “As with most performing arts companies, ticket exchange policies have been relaxed,” notes an email from the Source Theatre.
What other events have been canceled or postponed?
Ireland at the Wharf, an outdoor St. Patrick’s Day celebration scheduled for the Wharf on March 14, has been postponed indefinitely.
The Made Conference, a March 14 event connecting local hip-hop, go-go and R&B artists, has been postponed.
On March 11, the Episcopal Church announced that it was closing dozens of churches, including Washington National Cathedral, until March 25. Tours of the Cathedral are canceled, but services will be streamed online.
The organizers of the District’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade announced on March 11 that the parade, scheduled for March 15, has been postponed and that an event will take place on “a date still to be determined.”
The D.C. Brewers’ Guild Hopfest, which was bringing 30 breweries and hundreds of beer fans to DC Brau on March 14, has announced that the event is postponed, with a makeup date to be announced later.
Organizers of the NoVa Teen Book Festival, an annual gathering for fans of young-adult fiction, canceled the festival, which was to be held on March 14 at George C. Marshall High School. It is scheduled to return in March 2021.
“Out of an abundance of caution,” the Korean Cultural Center announced March 11 that upcoming public events have been canceled. The current exhibition “True and False,” scheduled to run through March 26, will close, and “Landscape of the Mind,” which was to go on display April 3, is canceled.
On March 9, the Environmental Film Festival, scheduled to take place at venues across Washington March 12-22, announced that all screenings and events were canceled and would be replaced with a “virtual festival” with films screened online. “The decision was a hard one but given the situation, the crowds, and all of the out-of-town guests, it seemed like the only viable option,” festival publicist Travis Hare said in an email.
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank announced March 3 that its spring meetings, which bring thousands of delegates, observers and members of the media to Washington every April, will be held in a virtual format.
The National Symphony Orchestra announced the cancellation of its scheduled tour of Japan and China.
Has there been any impact on the restaurant scene?
Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema contacted local restaurateurs before his March 4 chat. Some, including Rose Previte of Maydan and Robert Wiedmaier of Marcel’s, said it was business as usual. Ashok Bajaj, whose dining empire includes Rasika and the Oval Room, told Sietsema that “we are beginning to see some cancellations from conferences,” and Centrolina’s Amy Brandwein said the impact has been minimal so far, but “I am extremely concerned about the impact this may take on tourism in general and locals eating out. And on our employees, if this becomes a health pandemic in D.C.”
Peggy McGlone contributed to this report.