Four of the Eastern Cape’s major garden festivals have agreed to work together in order to market our province as a fabulous place to be during the spring.
Four of the Eastern Cape’s major garden festivals have agreed to work together in order to market our province as a fabulous place to be during the spring.
The Bedford Garden Festival (23 to 25 October), the Addo Rose Show (10 and 11 October), PE’s Sherwood Garden Centre Garden Festival (30 October to 8 November) and the Grahamstown Flower Festival (7 and 8 November) are now linked in mutually beneficial co-operation.
More information about each of the events can be found on their respective websites:
•Grahamstown Flower Festival – www.grahamstownflowerfestival.co.za
•Bedford Garden Festival – www.bedford-gardens.co.za
•Addo Rose Show – www.addorose.co.za
•Sherwood Garden Festival – www.sherwoodgardencentre.co.za
Each of the partnered events will still be marketed individually, but where possible, the four are joining forces in spreading the word about the whole group of events.
Already they have proved that team work pays off. For example, each event will host a free publicity stall for sister events. So Sherwood and Grahamstown will both have info tables at the Bedford festival, and Grahamstown will share a corner of the Bedford table at the Addo Rose Show.
Addo committee members have laughingly confirmed that it is never too early to start publicising next year, so although their show takes place first, they will still use the opportunity of meeting the public at the three partner events that follow on their heels.
Entry forms are already available for the garden competition component of the Grahamstown Flower Festival from the Pam Golding Properties offices, Reddit’s Bookshop, Spekboom Nursery, Sunnyside Garden Centre, Hill Street Public Library, D&A Timbers, Makana Tourism, Home Industries, and the Umthathi Training Project offices and nursery. Homeowners with beautiful gardens are encouraged to enter soon as the closing date is 16 October 2009. The entry form can also be downloaded from the website.
