Looking after the main events is ProjectExcel, with Karin Bowen and Selar Henderson at the helm, and it has been joined by a committee chaired by Steve Battrick, determined to make this year's event one to remember.
Tickets are already on sale and are cheaper than gate sales on the day.
The main events on Saturday will be the Grand Procession, Saturday in the Park and the Alex Live concert at night. Other top events will be the Garden Tour on Sunday and Monday (September 28 and 29) and the WoolOn Creative Fashion event the following Saturday (October 4).
Schools are very involved in the floats this year and Contact Energy has made sure they have everything at their disposal to do a good job, including a paper-blossom cutter to speed up the process of making paper blossoms.
Saturday in the Park will feature all the old favourites, including wood chopping, a food and beverage alley, a fairground carnival and market stalls.
The New Zealand Army Band will be playing and Christchurch-based band Pandemonium will entertain as well. The Otago Museum South Island City Roadshow offers a science display and Hera, an Icelandic singer/songwriter, will entertain, along with Dunedin reggae band KOILE.
With magic shows and an animal show, there will be something for everyone, the organisers say.
The Alex Live concert has an award-winning line-up, with Hollie Smith Atlas, Spacifix and The Valves playing till very late.
The WoolOn awards on October 4 in the Grand Marquee in Pioneer Park have drawn 62 entries this year and organisers are excited about the event.
The judges are Diane Gamble, the newly appointed services manager for the Upstart business incubator in Dunedin; Emily Cooper, the managing director of Silk Body Dunedin; Amanda Waugh, who is the producer of the Zonta Fashion Show; and Sonia Leathart, an announcer for More FM, based in Wellington.
The Festival Princess will be chosen from the grand parade of floats but the Blossom Queen will be selected before the parade.
The Merino Princess will be announced on the Friday night of the two-day Merino Shears Competition on October 3 and 4.
For those people more interested in earthy types of entertainment, the Spring Garden Tour will be held on September 28 and 29, with all gardens within an easy drive from Alexandra and Clyde, and open between noon and 5pm.
Other activities include drag racing on September 28, a non-stop "movie marathon" with midnight horror on October 2, a piano recital by Sabine Bosse, a heritage discussion with Peter Entwisle, an exhibition featuring past blossom festivals, a golf tournament, an international doll display, an arts festival, a contest for young people to make 20cm tall fashion outfits, a Central Otago canoe polo championships and the Merino Shears round off the celebrations on October 3-4 at Molyneux Park.
