Festival plans blooming

Plans for November's New Zealand Garden and Art Festival are in full bloom as developments begin on the event's first-ever expo hub at The Lakes.

Festival director John Beech and trustees met at the Lakes Boulevard site today to discuss construction of The Lakes Expo Pavilion that will open November 21-23.

NZ Garden and Art Festival trustees Marilyn Cleland, Nikki Burley, Claire Beard, Kim Burn, Michelle McDonnell and festival director John Beech with The Lakes Expo Pavilion plans. Photo: Zoe Hunter.

Now into its ninth year the festival on November 17-23 celebrates the diversity of Western Bay of Plenty's gardens and the variety and creativity of the regions' artists.

John says the 2.5hectare pavilion will be the hub of the festival featuring a myriad of garden attractions, exhibitions, installations and café.

'We've never actually had a full-on expo site where we can actually bring all of the events of the festival into one area.

'In the past it's been scattered around the city. So it's really following the lines of other really great garden festivals around the world where it's one central point.”

John says groundwork is complete and wild flowers have been planted ready to blossom in mid-November. A large parking area has also been formed, plus the structure for the ‘Suspended Forest' built by Signature Homes.

He says a 50m by 15m marquee will be erected as an activity centre, while a separate marquee will be set up as a space for the festival's speaker series.

'We've got an amazing lineup of speakers ranging from cooking to gardening and environmental issues.”

Regional schools and professional landscapers will be planting their exhibition gardens outside the pavilion prior to the festival.

Admission to the pavilion will be free. Tickets to the NZ Garden and Art Festival will be available from September 1 via Ticketek. Click here for more information on the festival.

John says the festival will be going ahead rain or shine.

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