When gardening and art meets fashion.Sisters L-R Rhianna McCormick-Burns, Andrene McGinity and Jess Smith. Photo/John Borren
When gardening and art meets fashion.Sisters L-R Rhianna McCormick-Burns, Andrene McGinity and Jess Smith. Photo/John Borren
Catwalk models and a lunch seasoned with hilarity will add to the fabulousness on offer at next month's BOP Garden and Art Festival.
Festival director John Beech says that while the biennial festival is renowned for its impressive garden and art stops, it has also garnered a growing reputation as a festival that delivers on many creative and entertainment fronts.
Couture in Bloom is one example; the Indulge Long Lunch is another.
Couture in Bloom involves an evening of fashion that will be held at The Lake's Expo marquee on the Saturday night, November 19. The Indulge Long Lunch, featuring highly acclaimed NZ comedienne Michele A'Court, will be held on Sunday, the final day of the four-day festival. Laughter, a three course meal at the pavilion café at The Lakes, and a view of the festival's wild flowerbed, will all be part of the experience.
The stand-up comedienne, writer and social commentator says guests can expect a 40-minute comedy set during the lunch, which will be catered by Bay Catering. (There's the opportunity too, to view the festival's sculpture walk before, or after, indulging in the long lunch.)
Also expected to pull the crowds will be the fashion extravaganza - Couture in Bloom - which will feature iconic NZ footwear designer Kathryn Wilson as guest speaker.
Predictions are the marquee will be pumping as models strut the catwalk dressed in the latest seasonal fashions from Sisters and Co accompanied by music from NZ Dj duo Sweet Mix Kids. High-end accessories by Kathryn Wilson and Deadly Ponies will also feature.
The festive celebration of fashion will be further enhanced by delicious food, and coffee liqueurs by Jumping Goat.
Sisters & Co creative director Rhianna McCormick-Burns says the modelled line-up of clothing will feature highly acclaimed NZ design brands such as Karen Walker, Juliette Hogan, Miss Crabb and Ruvy. International labels such as Aninebing, Camilla & Marc, Rad & Bone and Zimmermann will also be modelled. These labels are all stocked by the high-end Mount Maunganui department store.
At Sisters & Co we believe shopping should be fun and fabulous, so Couture in Bloom is a perfect fit.
Those attending will leave armed with knowledge regarding the key looks for summer, she says.
"It will be great for anyone with an interest in fashion - teens too. And the stage set is going to be amazing," she enthuses.
Other Festival Hub action at The Lakes includes: an array of inspirational spaces created by six local designers; the work of one of New Zealand's most respected visual artists, Dame Robin White; and an exhibition by WBOP local Emma Prill. Simone Anderson and the Incubator team are creating a static installation depicting a magical enchanted garden; and Tauranga's kokedama queen, Coraleigh Parker, will return for both a symposium and workshops.
This year's festival will also include an event called The Artists' Gallery, Group Exhibition - all things floral. Artists from the festival trail will each submit a piece of their work with a floral theme.
The Sculpture Walk alone is set to thrill. It will feature sculptures from the primal (a driftwood dinosaur under construction) to more contemporary offerings. Wood, limestone, metal and driftwood are the mediums used. Sculptors include Anton Forde, Shivaun Hogan and Jack Marsden Mayer, as well as local talent Chris Ponton, Linda Munn, Mary Paton, Peter Crammond and more.
When gardening and art meets fashion. Model Jess Smith. Photo/John Borren
The speaker and workshop series includes an extensive array of speakers. Tony Murrell - landscape designer and TV and radio gardening guru; Ben Hoyle, international garden design rockstar; Fiona Eadie, author and head gardener at Larnoch castle are in the line-up. Also speaking are: Jo McCarroll, NZ Gardener magazine editor; Robert Guyton, food forests expert; and Geoff Brunsden (from Wildflower World) with Much Abuzz About Bumbles.
Other speakers are: Leo Murray, keen composter and worm farmer; Peter Brymer, authority on developing natural ecosystem ponds; Unna Burch, suburban self-sufficiency cookbook author; Sally Holland, Goodbye Gluten author; Tess and Marco Patridge, simple sustainable solutions; and Coraleigh Parker, (of Pickled Whimsy) Tauranga's kokedama queen.
The plethora of events being held beyond The Lakes include a display of miniature gardens; the development of a summer garden for the Baycourt lawn; a Tauranga Art Gallery exhibition; and a schools' scarecrow competition. The creativity of the BOP Area Floral Art Society will be on show, as will that of Te Puke's Cre8tive Quilters.
Botanica Fantastica, by Graham Crow, will involve the installation of hydrangea-like, large, three dimensional paper assemblages at Trinity Wharf. Slices of inner-city tar seal will be transformed into gardens as part of a CBD Urban Carpark Garden Design. Meanwhile, hard hats will be donned at the Tauriko Business Estate for an Industrial Garden Challenge - businesses will create gardens for their very own trail, and the public will judge.
And, finally, in recognition of this milestone festival, also included will be a 10th Anniversary Retrospective Exhibition. The exhibition traces the biennial festival journey from humble beginnings 20 years ago, to the spectacle it is today.
Michele A'Court, comedienne, writer and social commentator, will be the guest speaker at the BOP Garden and Art Festival's indulge Long Lunch. Photo/supplied
The details
This year's festival will feature a switch from the traditional seven-day event - that had different areas of the trail open on specific days - to a four-day festival with all gardens open for the entire duration.
The festival will be held from November 17-20.
Festival-goers will have the ability to explore any part of the trail, on any of the four days. One-day ticket holders will not be restricted to viewing specific areas, as all will be open. It's time to buy tickets ¦Tickets for the Indulge Long Lunch and the Sisters Fashion Show can only be purchased from the website gardenand artfestival.co.nz.
*Tickets for the speaker & Workshop Series are available from Ticketek only. *Garden & Art Trail tickets can be purchased from the festival website, Ticketek, Décor Gardenworld or Palmers - discount for TECT cardholders.