BOP Garden and Art Festival worth travelling for

Artwork by Heidi Borchardt. Image supplied

Love gardens, love art? If so, a treat is in store and only about an hour's drive away.

The BOP Garden & Art Festival kicks off this week, running from November 17-20 inclusive, providing the opportunity to see behind the walls and hedges of many of the Western Bay of Plenty's best gardens. The 2022 festival offers 74 garden and art stops – of these, 20 are art studio stops.

BOP Garden and Art Festival director Marc Anderson says about 25 per cent of the gardens are new to the festival, and there are twice as many art studio stops compared to the previous festival. Plus, there will be a specific art studio trail marked out on the map to make it easier for art lovers to enjoy this aspect of the festival, Marc says.

As usual, the gardens feature a mix of planting themes and range from rural and rambling to urban and compact; and the art is diverse too.

The biennial event incorporates not only the ever-popular garden and art trail but also Bloom in the Bay with its many family-friendly facets.

Bloom in the Bay will include food, live music, a floral art exhibition, speaker series, trade stalls and a cluster of tiny homes in which artists will be based. The event will be open to the general public with $5 ticket sales at the gate during the festival days. Entry is free for children aged 14 and under and for festival pass holders.

For more information about the garden and art trail, Bloom in the Bay, and tickets see www.gardenandartfestival.co.nz. The festival is sponsored by Bayleys.