Already a well-known hub for travel in D.C., Union Station hosted the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s Pink Tie Party for the second year on March 14, transporting guests not via train, but experiences, to a floral, blush-colored world that celebrated diversity, District culture and the power of cultural exchange.
“The Pink Tie Party has been going on for about 15 years so we’re at this wonderful destination and celebrating spring with lots of wonderful Washingtonians and even some visitors,” Diana Mayhew, president and Ceo of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, told The Informer during the event.
From the moment guests walked onto the pink carpet to enter into Union Station, the Pink Tie Party offered a “Passport to Spring,” as the event is often billed. Attendees filled the beautiful cherry blossom decorated rooms, that featured live music, delectable, diverse cuisines from more than a dozen restaurants, and specialty cocktails flowing,
The event was also presented by Design Cuisine with support from All Nippon Airways.
With more than 800 guests donning stunning pink gowns, dapper tuxedos with pink accessories, and floral ensembles, there were also various photo activations for people to showcase their best cherry blossom-inspired looks.
“This year has been the year that people are really stepping up the fashion for spring, and cherry blossoms, and pink,” Mayhew said smiling, as she rocked a gorgeous pink gown at the event. “You can see it all over and everybody’s having such a great time.”
Performers such as Batala, Perfekt Blend, members of Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera and women on stilts, kept audiences engaged and entertained.
Further, guests could try out fare from several local and internationally known restaurants such as Nando’s, Mercy Me and Estuary, that not only appealed to attendees’ taste buds, but highlighted DMV-based businesses and talent.
“This evening we’re here to bring a little bit of the Estuary flavor to the Pink Tie Party and then we’ve also made our contribution to preserve the beautiful cherry blossom trees in the city of Washington, D.C.,” said Arturo Elias, chef at Estuary, before explaining more about the restaurant, located on the third floor of the Conrad Hotel in Northwest. “We are a mixed-cuisine focused restaurant and we try to give the best DMV has to offer and pour it into our kitchen.”
For Pink Tie Party guest Zanetta Ford-Byrd of Ashburn, Virginia, attending the event is an annual priority.
“I am here because I heard about this event two years ago and I decided to come out and see what it was about. It was absolutely amazing and I found that this is the event to be at every year and I’ve been coming back ever since,” Ford-Byrd told The Informer while waiting in line to take a glamorous slow-motion video at the 360 Booth.
After having such a good time the past two years, Ford-Byrd decided to bring her cousin LaJuya Hackley, who was having a great time taking in every moment.
”I’m so happy to be here,” said Hackely, “and this is an awesome event.”
A Party With a Purpose
More than just an opportunity to don fancy pink ensembles and party, the annual event serves a larger purpose for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 20-April 13.
“The Pink Tie Party helps us fundraise,” Mayhew explained. “Most of our events are free and open to the public. This is one where people buy tickets to, but it helps support our community programs so we can really engage residents and youth especially in all eight wards.”
Some of this year’s festival programming includes: the Opening Ceremony (March 22), Blossom Kite Festival (March 29), Petalpalooza (April 5), and the celebrated National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade on April 12.
Elias told The Informer that participating in the Pink Tie Party serves a dual purpose that furthers Estuary’s work beyond the Northwest D.C. hotel where the restaurant is based.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to engage with some people. But I feel it’s also a way for us to contribute to keep the beauty of the city,” Elias said. I think it’s a great opportunity for us to give back to the community.”
Preserving the cherry blossoms in the District is critical, as the planting of cherry trees in Washington, D.C. started as a gift from Japan to the United States in 1912. For more than a century, celebrating the bloom of the cherry blossoms has been a way to mark the beginning of spring and honor cross-cultural connections.
Last year, the National Park Service announced it would start working on the crumbling sea wall on the south side of the Tidal Basin, where there were more than 1700 cherry trees planted. The work required removing about 150 trees, leaving more than 1500 along the Tidal Basin for DMV residents and visitors alike to take in their beauty during peak bloom, which is predicted to be somewhere between March 23- March 27.
“Cherry blossoms are a very important part of the city and literally, people come from all over the world to come here,” Elias said. “I know we’re not Japan, however, this is one of the most beautiful cities to see the cherry blossoms.”
In addition to taking in the cherry blossoms, Mayhew encouraged anyone interested in attending festival events to check out nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.
She then offered another important reminder about the annual programming: “It’s for free!”
