Running Through April 23, 2023, The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage Offers Complementary Orchid-Related Programming During the Day and Evening Viewing, Music, Cocktails, Calligraphy, and More on Six Select Orchid Nights
Designed by landscape artist Lily Kwong, The New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) 20th annual orchid exhibition, The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage, features immersive installations of thousands of orchids that transport guests to ethereal, reverent landscapes inspired by ancient Chinese garden design and artistic principles, and complementary programming that enriches visitors’ engagement and enjoyment of these beautiful and formidable flowers. Wednesday and weekend daytime visits to the exhibition offer an assortment of activities, including question-and-answer sessions with orchid experts and multi-sensory experiences. On six select Saturdays, Orchid Nights present evening viewing, music, performances, calligraphy workshops, and cocktails and light bites available for purchase. The Orchid Show runs through April 23, 2023. Tickets are on sale now at nybg.org/orchidtickets.
The Orchid Expert Is In
Every Saturday and Select Sundays (February 26 and April 23); 12–4 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
On select weekend dates, learn about The New York Botanical Garden’s renowned orchid collection from NYBG Horticulture staff. These drop-in sessions provide opportunities to meet the stewards behind the orchid collection and learn how these flowering plants are cared for and cultivated.
Orchid Basics Q&A
Weekends and Wednesdays; 1–4 p.m.
At NYBG Shop
Visit NYBG Shop to have all of your orchid care questions answered by NYBG volunteers who are orchid experts in their own right. As you browse the Shop’s selection of orchids, they will be available to provide tips on selecting the right one for your home and how to successfully grow and care for these exotic plants.
The Orchid Outpost
Weekends; 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Throughout the exhibition, encounter a rotating selection of orchid-related activities presented by NYBG staff and volunteers, including:
Color Our Collections
Orchids may be found in a variety of colors from pinks, whites, reds, greens, and even shades of purples and blues. Pick up a postcard and color an orchid using the exhibition as your inspiration. After you’ve left the Botanical Garden, mail your creation to someone you love or add it as a decoration to your home.
Fragrant Fun: Sensory Table
Join an NYBG volunteer in exploring plants and their products found in the Haupt Conservatory through this table-top multi-sensory experience.
The Orchids of the Herbarium
Saturdays and Sundays; March 18, 19, 25, and 26
Learn how orchid specimens are collected, preserved, mounted, and categorized with team members from NYBG’s William and Lynda Steere Herbarium. Admire the display of specimens, view a mounting demonstration, and try your hand at creating a specimen to take home.
Orchid Nights
Select Saturdays, March 18 and 25, April 1, 8, 15, and 22; 7–10 p.m.
On select evenings during The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage, adults 21 and over can experience the exhibition through Orchid Nights, with music, cash bars, and food available for purchase.
Live from the Garden: Bloom Thru by ADÀI
7, 8, and 9 p.m.
On Conservatory Plaza
Internationally acclaimed musician ADÀI invites you into the bright and bold world of The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage with a mix of high-energy, contemporary beats, vocals, and instrumentals. Featuring singer/DJ ADÀI, with musicians and dancers, Bloom Thru is a 45-minute stage show told in three acts, beginning with traditional tunes blended with modern, Asian-fusion electronic dance music. ADÀI is an ElectroPop producer, DJ, singer, and songwriter performing in New York City and Beijing. Starting in 2017, ADÀI established herself in the Chinese pop music industry, with a total of 60+ million streams across Chinese platforms, including QQ music and NetEaseCloud. She has had syncs in theater, movies, and television shows, appeared on the Youku music show Chuang!, and has been a main stage feature at major music festivals. As a producer and songwriter, she has worked with big name artists including Sunnee, Huang Ling, and Ren Suxi. In 2021, ADÀI moved to New York City to attend a graduate program at the Berklee College of Music’s New York campus, Berklee NYC, to begin a new track as a producer/DJ. Her musical persona, Adai Song, performs softer pop music.
Cocktails & Calligraphy
In the Pine Tree Café Tent
Join an artist from the New York Chinese Cultural Center for a hands-on Chinese calligraphy and ink brush painting workshop, featuring Chinese characters inspired by The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage. Founded in 1974, the New York Chinese Cultural Center, a non-profit cultural and educational institution, is dedicated to deepening the understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture through the arts in the global and local communities.
