Thanks to a private donation, the Tauranga Arts Festival has been able to purchase a one-fifth share in the Pacific Crystal Palace, the relocatable venue that has been a much-loved feature of their festival since 2001.

The marquee-like Pacific Crystal Palace comes complete with a chandelier, banquette seats, sand-blasted mirrors and paua detailing and has been purchased by five festivals working as a joint venture.

The Tauranga Arts Festival's share of the buy-in has come from a donation from Paul and Cheryl Adams through their trust, the Bethlehem Charitable Trust. The couple is the founders of the Carrus Group.

'It's a testament to Paul and Cheryl's community spirit that they didn't hesitate when we put the idea to them,” says Tauranga Arts Festival Trust chair Kathryn Lellman.

'It was incredibly generous of them to offer the entire sum which allows us to focus our other funding on quality productions for the festival.”

Kathryn says the local trust board needed to move with 'reasonable haste” to secure a position in the joint venture.

'We knew other regional festivals wanted a seat at the table so if we'd had to try and source funding in a piecemeal fashion or from a funding agency it would likely have meant missing this outstanding opportunity.

"To have someone of Paul's acumen look at our business plan and say buying in was a no-brainer gave us great confidence.”

The news was announced last week to delighted festival sponsors and patrons at a special event at Tauranga Art Gallery, drawing extended applause for the Adams.

'Venues are one of our biggest costs,” Kathryn says, 'and, given a lack of publically available venues in Tauranga, securing the Palace is really important for the continuity of our festival.

"There was a concern that if the Palace was unavailable it would put us in a very difficult place.

"Now we can say with certainty that the Palace, which is instantly recognisable and provides a downtown hub for the festival, will provide pleasure for many years to come.”