Washington made its annual transition from winter into the long tourist season on Saturday as thousands of visitors descended for the first weekend of the Cherry Blossom Festival just ahead of a cold front and expected snowfall. With the annual National Marathon also drawing crowds to the National Mall, the action — and traffic — began early in the morning and stretched through the afternoon.

By mid-morning, the crowd at the Tidal Basin stretched all the way around the water’s edge as locals and tourists from all over the country, Europe and Asia snapped photos of the famed blossoms. That is, until John Gould’s 12-year-old cat Pud, started stealing the show.