Time is running out to purchase some of the first tickets to the Bay of Plenty Garden and Art Festival.

The tickets have been released as part of a special Mother's Day promotion and sales will continue until May 13.

Beyond that, those wanting tickets will need to wait until the early bird sales in July.

This year is the first-time tickets have been made available in time to be a Mother's Day gift.

Festival director Marc Anderson says it was too good an opportunity to miss and has paid off with an 'absolutely fabulous” response.

'We recognise that the tickets offer a brilliant Mother's Day present idea, so we've pulled out all the stops to make this happen.

'It's a great present for those who love gardens and/or art, or for those who will just love the prospect of four days visiting some the Bay's most beautiful properties” he says.

Adding to the appeal, he says, is the fact tickets for the November festival will be available at a discounted price of $50, excluding booking fees and card charges, which covers a pass to all four days of the festival, plus entry to the family-friendly Bloom in the Bay activities that will be held at the festival site at Tauranga's Historic Village.

The price is cheaper than the early-bird special rate. The festival will run from Thursday November 15 to Sunday November 18.

Bay of Plenty Garden and Art Festival Mother's Day Special Tickets will sell through the Ticketek website www.ticketek.co.nz, phone 0800 842538, or at the Box Office at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre in Tauranga.

Purchasers of Mother's Day tickets will receive acknowledgement of purchase and the recipient will be sent a full festival pack in September, closer to the festival dates.

The festival packs will include their four-day pass, a directory of gardens and artists, a map, and other relevant information.

Those with any queries around the Bay of Plenty Garden and Art Festival Mother's Day special purchase can e-mail the festival office at info@gardenandartfestival.co.nz

Alternatively, visit the festival website www.gardenandartfestival.co.nz