SINGAPORE – The global coronavirus outbreak may have disrupted some people’s plans to travel to Japan this month to view cherry blossoms, but Gardens by the Bay is offering them a chance to view peach and cherry blossoms at its Flower Dome.

Singapore residents can share what their disrupted trip meant to them through the Gardens’ website this week for a chance to win free tickets to the Sakura Matsuri, or Japanese for Cherry Blossom Festival, which was launched on Tuesday (March 10).

Tickets will be available for 500 residents who had planned to travel to Japan between March 1 and May 31. They will have to provide proof of trip cancellation from the airline or travel agency, with the names of all travellers.

Gardens by the Bay chief executive officer Felix Loh said the effort is part of the attraction’s Where Flowers Never Stop Blooming initiative, which hopes to “inspire and build confidence within the community” at a time when the Covid-19 outbreak has affected businesses and Singaporeans.

“I hope this year’s Sakura Matsuri brings the excitement of cherry blossoms to Singapore, and to people who missed out on travelling to Japan due to the prevailing situation. Our green spaces continue to be open for respite and recreation,” Mr Loh added.

The Gardens has also partnered Pan Pacific Singapore to offer a 30 per cent discount at the hotel’s Edge, Hai Tien Lo and Keyaki restaurants till June 30 if they present a conservatory ticket.

This year’s Sakura Matsuri is being organised at the Gardens for the fifth year running. It features over 500 cherry and peach blossom trees amidst a Japanese springtime landscape, which includes a Japanese teahouse, Gassho-style farmhouses, and torii gates.

Children can also follow the adventures of Momotaro, a Japanese folklore hero said to be born from a peach, and three legendary warriors who fought alongside him.

At the launch were National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, Japan’s ambassador to Singapore Jun Yamazaki, and Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh.

The festival ends on March 29, and will be capped by the two-day Anime Garden, a celebration of Japanese pop culture with free anisong concerts, anime screenings and appearances by celebrity cosplayers at The Meadow.

Singapore residents get 50 per cent off tickets to the Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, Floral Fantasy and Supertree Observatory till March 22. Resident children aged 12 and below get free admission to these attractions during the school holidays from March 14 to 22.

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