Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off today

SHILLONG: Starting on Wednesday, the India International Cherry Blossom Festival will celebrate the unique autumn flowering of the Himalayan coloured corolla with several cultural events in the city.
The organisers have put together a collection of fixtures for the visitors such as fashion shows, rock concerts, beauty pageant and even compete in an amateur golf tournament alongside stalls showcasing indigenous food, wines and crafts besides Japanese cultural events, Japanese Food Pavilion and a Higher Education Stall in partnership with the Embassy of Japan in India.
The festival will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma at Polo 5th Ground (Dalang Open Stage) which will be the main venue of the festival.
This year, the opening ceremony will also be attended by the Japanese Ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu.
The ambassador will be leading a Japanese delegation that will engage in a dialogue, on the same day at State Convention Centre that is entitled celebrating the Shillong-Sakura Connect- Idea Exchange on Socio Economic Partnerships.
This is being organised by the State Government, FICCI Forum of Parliamentarians and the Japan Embassy.
This is a signature event of the India International Cherry Blossom Festival, which is being organised by the Forest and Environment Department, Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD) in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Other signature events of the four-day festival are the bioresources fashion show, the cherry blossom run, the Japanese Cosplay competition, a Japanese Judokan display, screening of Japanese films and a cultural mosaic featuring the fusion of Indian and Japanese drummers.
Further, during the festival dates (14-17 November 2018) , visitors can also enjoy illuminated cherry blossoms and fine dining at Ward’s Lake, which will have extended opening hours and closes only at 8 pm.