Organisers of the Alexandra Blossom Festival are holding out hope their event can go ahead later this month.
Event manager Martin McPherson. Photo: Otago Daily Times / Alexia Johnston
The historic festival marks the arrival of spring and celebrates its 65th anniversary this year.
Event manager Martin McPherson said they could only run the festival under alert level 1 as the event attracted upwards of 15,000 people last year.
He was taking a business as usual approach.
"We have in excess of 150 arts and craft markets. It's communicating to those people. It's talking to our entertainers," McPherson said.
"A lot of our bands are coming out of the North Island. I've basically given them a heads up that, even if we went to level 1, they're probably going to still be at level 3, especially Auckland. It's highly unlikely they'll be able to travel."
Instead he had been in contact with some South Island-based entertainers to ensure they'd have have musicians if the event could go ahead.
But it would all depend on Monday's alert level update.
"If we get a strong indication of the possibility of going to level 1 in a week's, time then the call will be made that we go forward.
"If we don't get that indication, if it's going to be longer than that, then we'll have to make the call and unfortunately cancel."
It would be a massive blow to the community and local businesses if the festival had to be cancelled, he said.
Postponing sadly wasn't an option, McPherson said.
But he hadn't ruled out taking a page out of the Tokyo Olympics 2020's book and hosting the Alexandra Blossom Festival 65th plus one next year.