Pacific Bonsai Expo updates – Bonsai Tonight

I can’t believe it – the Pacific Bonsai Expo opens in four weeks! Here are the latest updates.

• Saturday is sold out, but tickets are available for Sunday, November 13. There is a chance same-day tickets will be available on Saturday (stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks), but if you want to attend, we highly recommend securing tickets in advance.
• The deadline for purchasing tickets to the Saturday evening Awards Banquet is next Thursday, October 27th. If you want to join over 150 bonsai enthusiasts from around the country (and a few from around the world), feel free to join in and see which trees take top honors!
• We expect parking at the venue to be limited Saturday and Sunday. We encourage everyone to carpool or use a rideshare service like Lyft or Uber.

One that note, we’ve set up a shuttle service that will run between the venue and the Hyatt House, located at 5800 Shellmound St., in Emeryville. The service will start at the Hyatt House at 8:30am Saturday and Sunday and will run until 5:30 Saturday and 4:30 Sunday.

Space on the shuttle is available on a first-come, first-serve basis – no reservations are needed.

For those interested in walking, it’s a 45 minute stroll from the Hyatt House to the Bridge Yard. Starting at the hotel, head over to Ikea and cross the street where you’ll pick up the start of the Bay Bridge Trail. Eric Schrader recently filmed the route on bike – here’s what the trail looks like.

Now on to the fun announcement.

Talks and Docent Tours at the Expo!

We have a great line-up of bonsai professionals and related artists who will be providing docent tours throughout the weekend. Join Peter Tea, Michael Hagedorn, Daisaku Nomoto, Nao Tokutake, Andrew Robson, and Eric Schrader, among others, to hear their thoughts on selected displays in the exhibit.

Tours will begin on Saturday at 12, 1, 2, 3, and 4 and 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, and 3 on Sunday.

Weather permitting, Sunday will also feature two presentations. We’re hosting a potters round table from 11-12:30 with Vicki Chamberlain, Robert Potts, Paul Stephen, and Nao Tokutake. From 2-3:30, Eric Schrader and I will host a Q&A session about the event itself.

Shimpaku juniper at the Bridge Yard

That covers the primary news items. Beyond that, I can add:

• Saturday tickets are available to volunteers! There are a few spaces left – you can sign up here.
• Pre-orders for commemorative albums from the event are available at a discounted rate.
• It’s not too late to become an event or prize sponsor. Sponsors will receive recognition on the event website, in the program, and in the commemorative album. Learn more about donations and sponsorships.
• If you’re looking for help with exhibit tree-prep (or any other bonsai work), Japanese bonsai professional Daisaku Nomoto will be available to help before the show. Contact me for details.

I hope you’re as excited for the event as I am! And for those of you waiting for the return of weekly instructional posts, thank you for your patience – this channel will return to its regular bonsai programming soon.