The Senior Blossom Festival Queen contest begins at 2pm in the Alexandra District Club, with six women competing for top honours.
Six festival princesses vying to be crowned Festival Queen after the float procession on Saturday will also carry out their first official duty by making an appearance at the contest.
The senior festival queen contest hits a milestone 20th event this year and organisers were relieved a late flurry of entries ensured it would continue.
It was started to recognise the volunteer work done for the community at the Blossom Festival and other events by the more senior residents of the town.
''The entrants are a lovely bunch of ladies so it's going to be very difficult for the judges to decide this year,'' a member of the organising committee, Barbara Grubb, said yesterday. Contestants represent a wide range of community groups.
They had interviews and lunch with the judges - Joy Ramsay, Sue Roy and Ian Gray - on Thursday. The contest today includes performances by musicians, singers and dancers.
The float procession attracts the biggest crowd of any festival event and the senior festival queen and her runner up will be guests of honour on Saturday, riding on a float and having afternoon tea with the princesses.
This week's other festival activities include the mardi gras and Round the Clock Race on Friday night and the drag racing and garden tours on Sunday. The festival concludes with the WoolOn creative fashion event on October 10.
