Home » More About BBG » Pressroom
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2008
CONTACT
Leeann Lavin: 718-623-7289, leeannlavin@bbg.org
Kate Blumm: 718-623-7241, kateblumm@bbg.org
Save the Date!
Hanami: Celebrating the Cherry Blossom-Viewing Season at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
New York City's Rite of Spring
Fine Art Exhibition, Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival and BBG CherryWatch Website Feature
Photo: BBG is home to a world-famous collection of flowering cherry trees—over 220 specimens of 42 different kinds. Seventy-six Prunus 'Kanzan' cherries form two allees on Cherry Esplanade and explode into a show of breathtaking beauty during Hanami. (Barbara Alper, courtesy Brooklyn Botanic Garden).
HANAMI: Celebrating the Cherry Blossom-Viewing Season
at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
April 5–May 4, 2008
SAKURA MATSURI: BBG's 27th annual Cherry Blossom Festival
Saturday, May 3–Sunday, May 4, 2008 | 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Brooklyn, NY—January 17, 2008—Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) announces Hanami, the Cherry Blossom-Viewing Season, April 5–May 4, 2008. Hanami is the Japanese cultural tradition of viewing and cherishing each moment of the cherry's flowering season—from the first buds, to the luminous blossoms, to the waterfall of petals cascading from the trees. At Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Hanami includes a series of seasonal events that pay tribute to the Garden's iconic collection of Japanese flowering cherry trees.
Hanami visitors can begin with BBG's online CherryWatch feature to plan visits to the Garden, where they can stroll under a canopy of flowering cherries, view enchanting wall-size murals and expressive oil paintings of cherry trees in the exhibit Cherry Blossom Visions: Works by Charles Gustina and David Wander, and celebrate the 27th annual Sakura Matsuri (Saturday, May 3–Sunday, May 4, 2008). Sakura Matsuri is BBG's two-day festival celebrating the striking beauty of the Garden's cherry trees and their magnificent blossoms with a weekend of Japanese culture, arts, and performances for all ages. As Hanami draws to its seasonal conclusion, visitors will revel in an experience traditionally thought to bring good fortune, when cherry blossoms cascade from the trees to create a petal carpet.
With over 220 trees of 42 different kinds, BBG's flowering cherry collection is unmatched outside Japan in the number and variety of cherry trees in one place. From the delicate weeping higan cherry trees that loosen petals into the water at the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, to the honey-scented blossoms of the Taki-Nioi, to the stately double-flowering kanzan trees that fill Cherry Esplanade with pink blossom "clouds," the Garden's diverse collection of flowering cherries delights and inspires awe each spring. In Japanese culture, the fleeting cherry blossom (sakura) is a poignant symbol of life in bloom, the arrival of spring, and the ephemeral brilliance of nature. In this spirit, visitors experience the wonder of the beloved cherry blossom and become immersed in the rich culture of Japan, where the legacy of flowering cherries dates back twelve centuries.
For more than 25 years, tens of thousands of visitors have participated in BBG's Sakura Matsuri. They experience the breathtaking beauty of the fleeting cherry blossoms and learn about Japanese culture. The festival has evolved into one of the city's most anticipated weekend events and is truly New York City's rite of spring. The 27th annual Sakura Matsuri will feature a dynamic weekend of music and dance performances, workshops, demonstrations, exhibits, and guided tours, all honoring traditional Japanese culture.
HANAMI EVENTS:
Cherry Watch 2008 (bbg.org/cherrywatch)
Early April to mid-May
Our web-based exhibit maps the more than 220 cherry trees at BBG, tracks their blossoming, and provides a detailed guide to the cherry tree collection, including history, cultivation, and care of the trees. An ideal way to track when nature reveals the first blossoms and to plan visits throughout the season.
Cherry Blossom Visions: Works by Charles Gustina & David Wander
Saturday, April 5–Sunday, May 11, 2008
To mark the beginning of the Hanami season, the Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery features Charles Gustina's wall-size murals of cherry blossoms and other flowers and David Wander's expressive oil paintings and pastels of cherry trees. Most of these works were inspired by BBG's collection. Stay tuned for opening reception details! Free with Garden admission.
Sakura Matsuri
Saturday, May 3–Sunday, May 4, 2008 | 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Participate in New York City's "rite of spring" at Sakura Matsuri. With more than 220 trees in bloom, Brooklyn Botanic Garden's flowering cherries take center stage during this phenomenal weekend celebrating Japanese culture with more than 60 events and performances. Enjoy traditional Japanese music and dance, taiko drumming, ikebana flower arranging, cooking demonstrations, tea ceremonies, craft demonstrations, and workshops for both adults and children—all under a magnificent cloud of cherry blossoms! Free with Garden admission.