On Feb. 14, 1912, 3020 fragile cherry trees from Japan arrived in Washington. The trees were planted along the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. Over the next decade, more and more trees arrived as gifts from the Japanese government, and in 1934, a tradition was born: The National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual celebration commemorating the blossoming of these cherry trees and the beginning of spring. This year’s festival is set to begin on March 20, but the blossoms aren’t expected to peak until late March and early April.

“I’ve gone to see the cherry blossoms every year since I was a kid,” senior Googe Anthony said. “It doesn’t feel like spring unless I’ve seen them.”

Due to the numerous events going on in the city, including last week’s National Walkout Day and this Saturday’s March for Our Lives, this year’s festival is expected to have a very high turnout.

“There’s going to be a lot of people,” president of Destination D.C. Elliot Ferguson said. “There’s going to be a lot of people on Metro, a lot of people walking and just a lot of activity.”

The March For Our Lives is an event organized by students to protest gun violence in schools in the wake of the shooting in Parkland, Florida. 500,000 marchers are expected to attend on Saturday, which would lead to heavy foot traffic in the city and automobile traffic on I-95 and other surrounding areas.

Many McLean students are planning on attending the march and taking advantage of being in the city to see the cherry blossoms as well.

“I will definitely go see [the cherry blossoms] while I’m in D.C.,” senior Mateen Karimian said. “I will be in D.C. all day because of the march, so seeing the trees will be a nice break from the marching.”

With the constant political turmoil and conflict going on in Washington, the Cherry Blossom Festival is a beloved tradition on both sides of the aisle.