Parks Pop-up Returns for Cherry Blossoms Outside the Fairmount Horticulture Center With Live Music, Food & Drinks
FCM Hospitality announces a Parks Pop-Up with blooms, bites and beers just in time for the Cherry Blossoms. This temporary Pop-Up will be located outside the Fairmount Horticulture Center Arboretum (100 N. Horticultural Drive) starting on Saturday, April 2nd through on Sunday, April 10th. Patrons are invited to enjoy fresh food, local beers on tap, specialty themed cocktails and more, set in an outdoor environment with comfortable chairs and clean restrooms. Parks Pop-Up will be the perfect addition to the Japanese American Society of Greater Philadelphia’s “The Sakura Concert Series of the Shofuso Cherry Blossom Festival of Philadelphia” occurring the April 8-10th, which will feature a weekend long, non-ticketed, open to the public concert series exploring the the intersections of Japanese and African American culture through three days of musical performances by multi-ethnic Hip Hop, Jazz, and Percussion musicians.
Hours and days for Parks Pop-Up outside the Horticulture Center will be Saturday, April 2nd and Sunday, April 3rd from Noon – 7 PM; Wednesday, April 6th and Thursday, April 7th 4 PM -9 PM, Friday, April 8th 4 PM – 11 PM; Saturday, April 9th Noon – 11 PM; Sunday, April 10th Noon – 8 PM. Admission is free. The beer garden portion of the Cherry Blossom Festival and Viewing is 21+ to enter with proper I.D. Children, families, and anyone under 21 are welcome to participate if they are accompanied by a legal guardian who has legal identification. Well-behaved dogs are welcome and must always be on a leash. Food and drink are pay-as-you-go. Seating is first come, first served.
FOOD AND DRINK
FCM Hospitality will present a full menu of food and drink favorites – plus new selections that contain a nod to the celebrated Cherry Blossoms. For food, look for locally-made and sourced fare that includes signature BBQ dishes from Craft Hall, 901 N. Delaware Ave, with a variety of vegetarian and gluten-free options. From the bar, look for speciality themed draft cocktails and locally made brews from Mainstay Independent Brewing Company. Credit cards are preferred. Selections from the food and drink menus include the following highlights:
FOOD
Snacks
Warm Soft Pretzel (V) $4
Spicy Maple Mustard
Burrata Cheese $11
Pesto, Prosciutto, Sesame Crackers
Hummus (V) $9
Edamame, Mint, Spring Onion, Togarashi, Pita Chips
-sub cucumber and celery for pita (GF)
Salads
Arugula (VG) $11
Dried Cherries, Roasted Squash, Aged Gouda, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Pretzel Crouton
Soba Noodle (V) $12
Snow Peas, Shaved Hearts of Palm, Shiitake Mushrooms, Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette
Sandwiches
(All served with a bag of potato chips)
Pulled Pork $14
Coleslaw, B&B Pickles, Brioche Bun
Hot Roast Beef $15
BBQ Eye of Round, Horseradish-Miso Sauce, White Soy Pickled Onion, Seeded Long Roll
Turkey Hoagie $12
Smoked Turkey Breast, Lancaster Colby, Shaved Iceberg, Cherry Pepper Relish, Seeded Long Roll
Veggie Wrap (V) $12
Hummus, Roasted Peppers, Broccoli, Red Onion, Flour Tortilla
Kid’s Hot Dog $5
All Beef Hot Dog, Martin’s Potato Bun
Sweets
Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie $3
DRINK
Cocktails $10
Hibiscus Lemonade
Vodka, Hibiscus, Fresh Lemonade
Hanami Punch
Tequila, Soju, St. Germain, Green Tea, Lemon Juice
Draft Beer Selections $7
Mainstay Poplar Pils
Mainstay Bowline IPA
Parks Pale Ale
King Laird Weiss
Heartbeat Porter
Constitution Lager
Downeast Cider
Canned Beer Selections $7
Bud Light Seltzer
Coastal Rose Spritz
2SP Sunfest Shandy
Parks Pale Ale
Bowline IPA
Wine $9
Rose
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Lemonade $3
Water $3
Red Bull $6
ENTERTAINMENT
The Parks Pop-Up will be a part of the larger attraction of the 2022 return of in-person Cherry Blossom programming at the Horticulture Center in West Fairmount Park. “While Japanese culture remains at the heart of our Cherry Blossom Festival, this year’s program has significantly expanded to include a number of West Philadelphia based artists and musicians from the predominantly African American neighborhood of Parkside, where Shofuso is located.” said Rob Buscher, Associate Director of Organizational Culture who is also leading the Re:imagining Recovery project efforts.
On Saturday, April 9, the cherry trees will also be illuminated starting at 7:30pm. The light-up event,called Yozakura in Japanese (literally “night cherry blossom”) will feature a video art set by OLUWAFEMI, artist and performer who redesigned the festival’s brochure and is Shofuso’s Artist in Residence through June 2022.
A peak into the weekend long programming is as follows:
Schedule:
APRIL 8, 7PM-10PM
Hip Hop show with Jason Chu, MC Tingbudong, G Yamazawa
APRIL 9, 6PM-10PM
Taiko drum concert by Kenny Endo with Philadelphia Orchestra
Video Art Set with Oluwafemi and Cherry Blossom lighting
APRIL 10, 11AM-5PM
Jazz concert with Phila Jazz Project, Reggae beats with Brown Rice Family, Taiko performance with Mac Evans and local drum groups
Full program is available on japanphilly.org
Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia (JASGP) is a private nonprofit organization that has connected Philadelphia and Japan since 1982 through art, business, and culture. JASGP operates Shofuso, produces the Shofuso Cherry Blossom Festival of Philadelphia, and presents the US-Japan Business & Public Policy program, as well as other arts, business, culture, and educational programming for all ages. For more information, visit japanphilly.org.
Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center is a traditional Japanese house and garden located in West Fairmount Park. Shofuso is open for admissions to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm, through October 30, 2022; on Saturday & Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm, from November through December 11, 2022. Adult admission is $14; senior citizens, students with ID and children ages 5-17 admission is $9; ACCESS card holders’ admission is $2; and JASGP members, active duty military with ID and children under 5 are admitted free. Shofuso is located at Horticultural and Lansdowne Drs., Philadelphia, PA 19131.
