A three-day celebration of D.C.’s other famous flowers — the lotuses and water lilies that dot the 700 acres of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens — kicks off Friday.
This year, the theme is on the art of the lotus and water lilies. The lotus is “a very sacred flower in the Chinese culture, as well as Asian cultures,” said Sheena Foster, executive director of the Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.
During the festival, there will be all kinds of opportunities for all ages to get involved in artistic activities, from Friday morning’s drop-in art class to an acrylic painting class Friday afternoon.
“I’m really excited because we have the Washington Dunhuang Guzheng Academy, which is an organization that’s been around for over 20 years, that teaches the ancient art of the guzheng,” Foster said.
That’s a stringed instrument that looks something like a zither.
“It’s an ancient Chinese instrument,” Foster said. “And the reason why this is so exciting for me is because I actually began learning to play the guzheng last summer.”
Other festival activities include nature walks, outdoor yoga, spoken word performances and a mix of cultural activities. Those will include classical Indian and Bollywood style dance performances. Mariachi music will share the spotlight with D.C. Strings’ Hip Hop Symphony.
Of course, the real stars of the festival are the lotus and lily plants that spring up across the park at this time of year.
Foster said water lilies are the flowers that bloom close to the surface of the water, appearing to float among the lily pads. “They are spiky and beautiful, and they range in color,” from yellows to magenta.
The lotus flowers, on the other hand, stand out across the landscape.
“You can’t miss the big, beautiful, pink and white flowers” that tower over their flowering companions. “The lotuses are about 5 feet tall right now,” and Foster said they’ll likely top out at about 7 feet tall.
Foster and National Park Service officials often refer to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens as the “hidden gem” in the nation’s capital.
“It’s an urban oasis and it’s right here in our own backyard,” she said.
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