No festival blow for town
CENTRAL Otago businesses already hit hard by lockdown are losing out on a muchneeded boost following cancellation of Alexandra’s Blossom Festival.
The festival was cancelled yesterday for the first time in 64 years, because of the uncertainty caused by changing restriction levels.
Festival event manager Martin McPherson said although he was disappointed by the committee’s decision to cancel the event, he did not regret it.
Lockdown leading up to the event, scheduled to run from September 24 to 26, had also taken its toll, he said.
Last year, the committee held off until four days before the event was scheduled to start before going ahead.
The committee wanted the 65th festival to be the best possible, but with parade participants unable to get together and build their floats leading up to the event, that could not happen, Mr McPherson said.
The parade had been the hallmark of the festival since its introduction in 1957, he said.
After a quiet winter, AL Park View Motel coowner Tony Martin said it was a blow for the town’s accommodation providers.
As it was every year, the motel was fully booked and due to host festival performers and market vendors from around the South Island, Mr Martin said.
He and the festival’s committee were still hoping that visitors would not cancel their trips and enjoy a weekend away in Alexandra.
One stallholder, Heritage Preserves owner David Bartlett, said he was ‘‘gutted’’ by the cancellation.
‘‘[The festival] is a big source of income,’’ Mr Bartlett said.
Without the opportunity to offer his product to the public, Mr Bartlett would make 10% of what he normally would.
He did not blame the festival organisers, but rather the lack of a specific end date for Level 2 and the uncertainty this created. ‘‘It’s just costing businesses.’’ Yesterday, Mr McPherson told the festival's 160 vendors that it would not be going ahead, and was met with understanding and appreciation that he had not left it to the last minute.
This also contributed to the committee’s decision cancel, rather than postpone the event, Mr McPherson said.
Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan supported the committee’s decision.
‘‘Putting on a second rate festival, particularly for the 65th, just wouldn’t have been a good thing to do,’’ Mr Cadogan said.
‘‘It’s the loss of a much needed economic boost to the town . . . but that is a regrettable consequence of the Covid pandemic.’’