How D.C.'s Cherry Blossom Festival Took Over the City's Busy Union Station for an Evening

WASHINGTON, D.C.—On March 15, Washington, D.C.'s iconic Union Station went pink for the evening. The busy train station aptly played host to a travel-themed Pink Tie Party, which is the annual signature event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. This year, the event welcomed just under 800 guests to the venue—2024 marked the first time this event has been held at Union Station, after more than a decade at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

"Sometimes you just need a change of scenery to reset your mind to the possibilities," said Lillian Iversen, vice president of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. She added, "When you're in a space that many years in a row, you definitely are used to all the ins and outs and what you can and cannot do. So it was a challenge accepted and overcome, in terms of working in a new space."

"The aim was really to immerse the attendee into the idea of, 'You're going to be transported to these destinations,'" Iversen said.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

Union Station, the new venue and transportation hub, became the inspiration behind this year's theme: Passport to Spring.

"The events team really leaned into the idea of travel, and we identified three iconic springtime destinations: Paris, Tokyo, and, of course, Washington, D.C., to bring it all back home," Iversen said.

When guests arrived, they were given a passport to bring to each room or activation throughout the event to receive stamps. For passports completely stamped, guests received a gift bag at the end of the night with a random giveaway, such as a $50 gift card to a D.C.-area restaurant.

"The aim was really to immerse the attendee into the idea of, 'You're going to be transported to these destinations,'" Iversen said.

Bienvenue à Paris! Iversen said Union Station's grand look and feel fit perfectly with the French decor.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

Attendees first disembarked for Paris, where an Eiffel Tower structure stood in the middle of a center bar. Here, Union Station's East Hall was transformed into a Parisian cafe complete with street artists creating caricatures, a string violinist, and a sparkling cocktail presentation from Chambord. Iversen said the grand look and feel of Union Station played perfectly into the French decor. 

A large Japanese torii gate welcomed guests to the Tokyo room, sponsored by All Nippon Airways (ANA).Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

In Tokyo, aka the Columbus Room, guests were given a taste of the city's nightlife. The space featured a large Japanese torii gate, bright neon, a karaoke stage, an augmented reality bar experience, and sushi and sake tastings. Guests could also enjoy claw machines (which are called UFO catchers in Japan) and a "magic mirror" photo booth where guests could pose for a print with a background of a Tokyo sidewalk with cherry blossom trees and the evening skyline.

"We always try and make it immersive and experiential, and we want people to walk away having had a multisensory experience," Iversen said. 

For the Washington, D.C., dedicated space in the Great Hall, guests could admire a central bar marked with a Washington Monument replica, tastes from local restaurants, and the main stage. This is also where the event brought forth its fashion component, which saw great success last year, with either attendees walking the runway to show off their pink and flower-patterned duds, or models strutting in curated fashion shows throughout the evening.

Since it was so successful last year, a fashion component returned to the 2024 Pink Tie Party.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

So, how do you do all of this while the venue is still an active, very busy train station? Union Station is actually well equipped for private events. One of its entrances has a dedicated entrance for private events; the Pink Tie Party used four spaces that are rentable for private events; and the Great Hall was pipe and draped so that a portion of the space was secure and segmented away from travelers headed to their Amtrak/Marc gates or travelers who just arrived.

"People were arriving in D.C. and were like, 'Oh, what's going on?' And we'd say it was an event for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, so that actually became a great way to use a little visual stimulation to share more about the festival," Iversen said.

Her takeaways for other planners? "Keep your options open," she said. "Continue to explore them to the fullest, because what you might end up with is something that truly creates excitement and a long runway for looking forward to next year." With a laugh she added, "So many people are already asking, 'How are you going to outdo yourselves?' We'll come up with something."

Keep scrolling to see key vendors and more photos from inside the 2024 Pink Tie Party...

VENDORS

Audiovisual: All Stage & Sound
Catering: Design Cuisine
Decor: Design Foundry
Entertainment: Black Alley, DJ Miss H.E.R., Manis Creative Entertainment, Models Inc., Nocturnal Entertainment, Stephanie Strings
Event Operations Support: First Watch Strategies & Event
Event Photography: Jason Dixson Photography
Instrument Rental: Drums Unlimited
Lighting: 4Wall Entertainment
Photo Booth Rental & Roaming Photography: Capital Photography, Capture Your Reflection
Venue: Union Station Washington, D.C.

A pink carpet and colorful projections welcomed guests through Union Station's dedicated entrance for private events.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

Ready to disembark? After checking in, guests walked through a draped hallway with faux panel walls meant to look like airplane windows. Within the windows were scenic shots of their three destinations: Paris, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C.—all featuring cherry blossoms, of course.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

Throughout the event, guests could get their "passports" stamped at the different activations.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

In the Paris room, a Parisian "street artist" created caricatures for guests.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

The Tokyo room held a "magic mirror" photo booth for fun, superimposed prints.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

Guests could also try their hand at claw machines (which are called UFO catchers in Japan) for color-coded balls that corresponded to a tier of prizes, from cherry blossom-shaped luggage tags to hotel stays. Iversen said at least six people walked away with a weekend stay at a D.C.-area hotel.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

D.C. Spanish restaurant Taberna del Alabardero was on hand at the event serving festive blossom mousse cups.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

Chambord offered three different cocktails at the event, including one with sparkling wine.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography

Models took to the runway in curated fashion shows throughout the evening.Photo: Jason Dixson Photography