For Immediate Release: March 9, 2006
Media Contacts: Emma Filar, Marketing & Communications Associate
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2006 National Cherry Blossom Festival: News Release
National Cherry Blossom Festival Kicks Off With Family Festival & Opening Ceremony at the National Building Museum
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The official kick-off for Washington D.C.’s National Cherry Blossom Festival® will begin on Saturday, March 25, 2006, with the first-ever National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day, presented in collaboration with the National Building Museum from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Museum. Following the free Family Day, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, in collaboration with the National Building Museum, will present the official Opening Ceremony from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. Free and held rain or shine at the National Building Museum, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day and Opening Ceremonywill officially kick off the two week-long celebration of the cherry blossoms and also mark the commencement of spring in Washington.
This year’s collaboration between the National Building Museum and the National Cherry Blossom Festival (NCBF) underscores the community’s remarkable interest in the National Cherry Blossom Festival opening activities and allows even greater participation by offering a family-focused event during the day and a space able to accommodate more people than ever before at the official Opening Ceremony. “There was an obvious demand and opportunity to enhance features of this event, so we’ve partnered with the NBM to allow for additional audience participation and activities,” said Diana Mayhew, executive director of NCBF. “We are just delighted.”
“The National Building Museum in the past offered the Origami as Architecture family festival in conjunction with the NCBF, but we are excited to be expanding our participation this year by co-presenting an even larger festival and the grand official Opening Ceremony – it will be a splendid celebration,” said Chase Rynd, executive director of the NBM.
The free National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day dedicated to Japanese arts and design will be held in the National Building Museum’s Great Hall, offering hands-on activities, demonstrations, performances, and more. Hands-on fun will include several paper folding activities, like traditional origami and an origami city. A hands-on Japanese-style garden activity will allow families to explore the design principles found in Japanese-style gardens and then create miniature paper ones to take home.
Other activities at the National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day will include ANIME BLOSSOM!—continuous screenings of anime or Japanese animation; a cherry blossom fan making activity with the National Children’s Museum; music video game stations called Dance Dance Revolution; Japanese brush painting demonstrations with the Sumi-e Society; demonstrations of mukimono, the ancient Japanese art of vegetable and fruit carving, led by culinary experts from the Art Institute of Washington; among others. Displays will include kimonos presented by Arise Gallery; a U.S. Arboretum bonsai display; an exhibit of Japanese comic books or manga; ikebana, Japanese floral arrangements; and a torii gate, a symbol of prosperity and good fortune.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day is co-presented by the National Building Museum and the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Registration is not required. For more information, the public may visit www.www.nbm.org or call 202.272.2448.
The Opening Ceremony will be held at the National Building Museum following the festival from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. Also open to the general public free of charge, festivities will include welcoming remarks by Washington dignitaries, the introduction of National Cherry Blossom Festival® Goodwill Ambassadors, and a special performance by internationally-renowned taiko artist Kenny Endo. For more information on the Opening Ceremony, please visit www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org or call 202.661.7584.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival Family Day and Opening Ceremony is funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival® is an annual two-week, city-wide event featuring daily cultural performances, sporting events, arts & crafts demonstrations and other special events. The 2006 Festival will be held March 25-April 10 and is highlighted by the Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival® on April 8 and the opening festival and ceremony at the National Building Museum on March 25. The National Cherry Blossom Festival® celebrates the 94th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the citizens of the United States and Japan. Visit www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org for more information.
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
