Blossom Queen: Beauty pageant or just a fun tradition?

AT 17 years of age, spending more than two hours on her hair and makeup, then four more hours smiling and waving on a float in front of her home town, is a ‘‘dream come true’’ for Jess Lake.

This year’s Alexandra Blossom Queen competition had nine entrants who each threw on a gown and put on their best smile, for a chance to wear the crown. It was Claudia Hammond, 17, who eventually took the title.

What appears to be a beauty competition from the outset, might seem a little archaic for an outsider looking in through the lens of 2022.

The Blossom Festival, along with the Blossom Queen competition, is now 65 years old, so it does date back a while and little has changed according to locals and organisers.

Float after float sails through the main street at about 5kph. These princesses sit front and centre, proudly waving at the crowded streets of kids, parents and adults. More than 6000 tickets were sold this year for the festival.

Organisers sayit has never been a beauty pageant. The tradition of picking a Blossom Queen began in that very first year and the crowned one was picked because she was merely on the best float of the day.

These days the women, aged between 16 and 25, are picked based on their ambitions, community involvement and how well they come across to judges during a week long of questioning sessions.

Judges asked Lake what would she do if she won? What does your life involve, what’s your family like and what are you ambitions?

The festival is an annual celebration of the arrival of spring and takes place in Alexandra in Central Otago.

The event returns this year after Covid-19 forced organisers to pull the plug last year.

Each entrant wore a dress for the competition, a tradition that has stuck in the 65 years.

Several years ago the festival had a male enter the Blossom Queen competition as a prince, for the first time and hasn’t been repeated.

Winner Claudia Hammond bought her dress for $25 on sale, borrowed the jewellery, and the hair took an hour.

She even did her own make-up.