Blossom King in his sights

As a little boy, Nate Alexander asked his mum why there were only princesses in the Blossom Festival and no princes.

This year, the Alexandra 17-year-old has thrown his own crown into the ring.

When few other people put their hands up to enter the Blossom Festival Princesses / Princes event, the Central Otago Youth Council chairman decided his moment had arrived.

"The others said ‘Oh Nate, this is something you’d be good at’ so I just took the opportunity."

Held since 1957, the Blossom Princess competition is an integral part of the festival tradition.

Contestants are known as princesses, and princes, for events in the run-up to the festival, with the winner crowned the Queen, or King, on festival weekend.

Nate, who goes to Dunstan High School, is only the second male to vie for the Blossom Festival crown, after Jeff Afan was a prince in 2017.

Nate said winning would mean a lot.

"I’d be honoured to be the first ever Blossom Festival king, especially as this isn’t a competition about beauty, it’s about how much you do in the community. I’d just be so honoured."

There was plenty about the competition that appealed.

"Being out in the community, doing something fun and different and I guess something not many people get the opportunity to do.

"I hope it encourages more [princes] to enter."

As well as joining the other contestants in competition, Nate was head of their float-building committee.

The theme of this year’s princesses and princes float encompassed another of his roles on the Dunstan High School sustainability committee.

Planning began in June and the sheer enormity of the task had almost been overwhelming at times, he said.

"It’s been a bit of a journey — finding people to help paint the 5m trailer, weeks gluing all the flowers on and trying to find people to help with that. But it’s been a good learning experience."

Family members had been roped in to help, with uncles building the characters’ frame and Mum folding flowers.

"We started making flowers and realised we didn’t have something to put them on."

Nate is one of eight young people taking part in the competition this year.

Their week will begin with a judging panel tomorrow. .

They will attend festival events during the week and the queen or king will be crowned on the main stage at the Saturday in the Park event next weekend.