Spring is finally here and in the air! And for beautiful, blooming cherry blossoms, look no further than Green-Wood.
To kick off the spring season after a quiet, dormant winter and to honor the beauty of the spring season, the 478-acre cemetery and national historic landmark is hosting its second annual Hanami Festival on April 20. Hanami is Japanese for ‘flower viewing,’ which is perfect for Green-Wood, a certified arboretum with more than 7,000 trees and shrubs from hundreds of varieties.
“We normally don’t get to hold any festivals or celebrations about the natural landscape here at Green-Wood, but this is the one opportunity to really celebrate one tree in particular and celebrate looking at the trees themselves,” explained Brooklyn-native Harry Weil, who has served as Green-Wood’s director of public programming for the last five-and-a-half years. There are 172 cherry blossom trees of three different species located on Green-Wood’s grounds.
“Right now, you can see that the magnolias—which are some of the earliest ones to blossom—are starting to bud. So that’s really exciting,” Weil told the RHSR on March 25. “I’m confident that there will be some flowering trees on view for everyone by the time the Hanami Festival takes place.”
Visitors will be able to walk the winding, tree-lined paths while aromas from sweet and savory Japanese treats and refreshments (including sake samplings) from Japan Village, located in Industry City, fill the air.
Festival goers can also expect to hear Japanese folk songs and Japanese-influenced jazz during their visit. Musical acts performing this year include Zan Zinger Trio and the Columbia Japanese Gagaku Instrumental Ensemble of New York as well as koto, shamisen, and Shakuhachi players who play traditional Japanese instruments.
“After so many months of practicing gagaku (Japanese for ‘elegant music’) in our homes and online, Columbia Gagaku Instrumental Ensemble of New York is excited to share this ancient classical court music outside and under Green-Wood’s beautiful trees,” Columbia University Professor Alicia “Lish” Lindsey, who serves as the music associate of the Gagaku Ensemble, exclusively told the RHSR. “We hope that those attending the festival will experience healing and a renewed vitality through the visual and aural connection with nature and music.”
Given last year’s positive public reaction to the inaugural Hanami Festival, which had approximately 350 people in attendance, Weil hopes to build on the momentum and make this an annual Green-Wood staple event.
“Just like our Battle of Brooklyn, Memorial Day, and Day of the Dead programs, we’d love for the Hanami Festival to be part of the rotation—mainly because we don’t have any programs that really celebrate the landscape in such a large-scale way,” Weil said. “As mentioned, we’ll be adding more musicians into the mix and will have a different variety of snacks this year, so that there’s something new for people to discover and enjoy.”
The Second Annual Hanami Festival takes place Wednesday, April 20, 6-8 pm (rain date Thursday, April 21). Tickets cost $35 for Green-Wood members and $40 for non-members. For more information and how to order tickets, visit green-wood.com/event/hanami-festival-2/.
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