{"id":37077,"date":"2025-09-22T17:59:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T17:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/37077\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T17:59:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T17:59:18","slug":"in-pictures-hastings-streets-bloom-for-the-2025-blossom-parade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/37077\/","title":{"rendered":"In pictures: Hastings\u2019 streets bloom for the 2025 Blossom Parade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">During the event, families enjoyed free rides, face painting, circus acts from newcomer Zaktacular, giant inflatables, music performances, and more.<\/p>\n<p><img  alt=\"A child enjoys face painting at the Blossom Festival\u2019s family fun zone. Photo \/ Simon Cartwright Photography\" class=\"article-media__image responsively-lazy\" data-test-ui=\"article-media__image\"\/>A child enjoys face painting at the Blossom Festival\u2019s family fun zone. Photo \/ Simon Cartwright Photography<img  alt=\"Children play on giant inflatables, a popular attraction at the festival. Photo \/ Simon Cartwright Photography\" class=\"article-media__image responsively-lazy\" data-test-ui=\"article-media__image\"\/>Children play on giant inflatables, a popular attraction at the festival. Photo \/ Simon Cartwright Photography<img  alt=\"Students from Hastings Boys\u2019 High School perform during the Blossom Parade. Photo \/ Simon Cartwright Photography\" class=\"article-media__image responsively-lazy\" data-test-ui=\"article-media__image\"\/>Students from Hastings Boys\u2019 High School perform during the Blossom Parade. Photo \/ Simon Cartwright Photography<img  alt=\"Crowds watching circus performances during the 2025 Blossom Festival. Photo \/ Simon Cartwright Photography\" class=\"article-media__image responsively-lazy\" data-test-ui=\"article-media__image\"\/>Crowds watching circus performances during the 2025 Blossom Festival. Photo \/ Simon Cartwright Photography<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the parade captured the heart of  Hastings\u2019 \u201ccommunity spirit\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">\u201cThis event is a celebration of who we are, our creativity, and our connection to one another.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img  alt=\"Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst and parade director Lyn Mackie cutting the birthday cake to celebrate 75 years since the first Blossom Festival was held. Photo \/ Simon Cartwright Photography\" class=\"article-media__image responsively-lazy\" data-test-ui=\"article-media__image\"\/>Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst and parade director Lyn Mackie cutting the birthday cake to celebrate 75 years since the first Blossom Festival was held. Photo \/ Simon Cartwright Photography<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">It\u2019s been 75 years since the first Blossom Festival was launched in 1950. The parade had a gap of about 20 years after 1972 and returned in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n<p>Blossom Parade winners<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Best Float <\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Winner: Kidnappers Country Music Group<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Runner-up: Ng\u0101 Tukemata o Kahungunu Vocational Charitable Trust<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Best Use of Blossom<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Winner: The Philippine Community of Hawke\u2019s Bay<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Runner Up: New World Hastings<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Best Performance<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Winner: Bike Hawke\u2019s Bay<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Runner Up: Saint Soldier  Sikh Martial Art<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Most Unusual<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Winner: Mangla Tribal Belly dance<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Runner Up: Central Rottweiler Club<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">People\u2019s Choice<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">The Philippine Community of Hawke\u2019s Bay<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Special Mention<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">Kevin Watkins<\/p>\n<p class=\"NzpREUNDumYW\" style=\"display:none\">A Day at the Cape<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During the event, families enjoyed free rides, face painting, circus acts from newcomer Zaktacular, giant inflatables, music performances,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37078,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[836,10532,34257,2082,5194,78,111,43,139,69,34258,422,5412,223],"class_list":["post-37077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-836","tag-bloom","tag-blossom","tag-for","tag-hastings","tag-in","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-parade","tag-pictures","tag-streets","tag-the"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37077\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}