Wine and beer connoisseurs need not fret about there being no alcohol at this year’s Alexandra Blossom Festival, despite the committee being turned down a special licence for the event in September.

A public hearing for a special licence will be held this Friday (July 11) by the Central Otago District Licensing Committee.

Usually individual vendors applied for their own licence but the blossom festival committee felt it was easier to just have one licence for everybody.

A special licence is needed when an event is being held in a place that is not licensed - for example a park or a community hall.

Festival organiser Martin McPherson, who is familiar with the process as both a district councillor and one who sits on the hearings panel for resource consents, said he would rather wait until after the public hearing to comment.

Meanwhile, float entries are now open for the September 26 -28 event, and Central Otago District Council (CODC) also recently agreed the annual $24,500 funding towards the festival would come from its District Tourism Reserves under the Long Term Plan (2025-34).

This will ensure the event’s future is protected and so the committee need not continue applying for a grant through the Vincent Community Board each year.

The public hearing for the special licence will be held on Friday at CODC, starting at 10am.