Whether you're looking to "jazz it up" or simply to dispel the winter blues, the Philadelphia Flower Show with this year's "Jazz It Up" New Orleans theme offers classical jazz music, the largest indoor garden exhibit of its kind and a worthy cause.
From this Sunday, March 2 to March 9, the Philadelphia Convention Center will host the 179th -annual Philadelphia Flower Show. Among the countless floral exhibitions and vibrant hues, the standout theme this year is "going green."
The show is the Philadelphia Horticultural Society's largest fundraiser, raising up to $1 million to benefit Philadelphia Green, an environmental outreach program with more than 2,500 projects that aim to transform the city's harsh landscape.
"College students, especially those with an interest in helping the environment can learn about improving neighborhoods by joining a tree-tending group or learning how to green up the campus," said Alan Jaffe, spokesman for the PHS.
"Its easy to get wrapped up in the Penn bubble," said College freshman, Maya Tepler, education and outreach board member of Penn Environmental Group. "While its important to better the University environment, it's important not to forget that there is a wider environment that we also have to be conscious of and involved in."
The show offers gardening workshops, European flower exhibits and a "Flower Show Marketplace" featuring over 140 international vendors.
In addition, this year's show features live jazz music that will be performed by New Orleans's legends like Dave Posmontier and Sam Williams.
"There are a number of draws for our show, but mainly the live music," Jaffe said.
The show itself is a major event for both the PHS and Philadelphia as a whole, with an economic impact of about $30 million generated by tourism revenue from local hotels, restaurants and shops. The show, with its New Orleans theme, hopes to bring this same impact to the hurricane-ravaged city by emphasizing the importance of tourism in a local economy.
"We're trying to make people aware of how tourism dollars can help revive the city," said Jaffe.
Admissions tickets, normally $28, are open to students for $17 at the Philadelphia Convention Center's box office.
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