Were you at Gardens By The Bay last weekend? If you haven’t heard of the garden, let me do a short introduction of this enthralling place. One of the hallmark attractions representing Singapore on the international stage – Gardens by the Bay is a 101-hectare park situated right in the heart of a concrete jungle with a fascinating weave of science-fiction and flora.
In the core of the park is two massive greenhouse that features temperate and tropical flora from all around the world. The theme for the Flower Dome changes periodically.
From 16th March to 8th April, Gardens by the Bay is having a Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival. Below is how GBTB describes their Matsuri
“Japan spring fever sweeps Gardens by the Bay with the inaugural Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival). Anchoring the fiesta is the annual cherry blossom floral display in Flower Dome, which will be complemented by Flower Dome programmes such as Japanese tea ceremony demonstrations, performing arts and kimono parade. Fans of Japanese pop culture will be in for a treat at Anime Garden, an anime-themed weekend featuring free anisong concerts, celebrity cosplayer appearances and Pikachu dance parade. Rounding off the festivities at the end of the month is Sakura Japan Fair featuring Japanese food and retail options, workshops and performance “
So last weekend was the Anime Garden; the Anime themed weekend. I popped down to the garden to waltz around for a while and here are some photographs I caught.
The Japanese Taiko drum group were performing when I arrived and man did they heat up the arena! Their beats were energetic, powerful and incredibly synchronized. The smiles on their face tells you just how passionate they are about their music.
Near the Supertree Grove were a small field with some tents set up to entice both your taste buds with Japanese snacks and food.
The merchandise booth had a snaking line.
The highlight of the weekend was the Anisong concert held on both evenings in the middle of the Super Tree Groves. I can’t even begin to imagine how amazing the acoustics and visuals might have been. And to top it off, it’s all free! It’s a pity I couldn’t stay for the concert but those who did had nice things to say.
Look at the fans camping in front of the stage under the scorching heat! The concert is at 7pm and these brave warriors are there before 3pm – talk about determination!
I especially wanted to see the adorable Pikachu Mascot Parade, sadly it was only available on Saturday.
In line with the theme of celebrating all things Japanese, are Japanese entertainment booths such as the Pokemon Game Booths and Playstation Booth. The kids were all visibly excited to have their go at the Pokemon Game booths.
Managed to catch Luna Haruna, Mashiro Ayano and GARNiDELiA at the PlayStation Booth!
Celebrity cosplayers Angie (Malaysia), Ely (Taiwan), SAIDA (Korea) and Thames Malerose (Thailand)also held a Meet and Greet inside the Flower Dome.
Of course, not forgetting the awesome Cosplayers who braved the scorching heat to dress up for their passion. Check out the snaps I managed to get while I was there. Mega thanks to all the cosplayers who posed for my puny camera, hope you guys and gals like the pictures!
