Bendigo Easter Festival 2016

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Fri 25 Mar 2016 - Mon 28 Mar 2016

Kick your school holidays off with a bang this year! Bendigo is a vibrant regional city, steeped in a rich sense of history created from the gold rush era. But don't be fooled into a false impression, Bendigo is surprisingly quite the contemporary city, with sublime food, wine and shopping experiences around every corner.



Bendigo truly comes alive at Easter. This year will mark the 145th anniversary of Hazeldene's Bendigo Easter Festival. If that doesn't tell you we're on to a winner I don't know what will! It is the longest running festival in Australia, and with good reason. A five day event which showcases and celebrates Bendigo's diverse community, while offering something for everyone.

The beautiful and historic CBD of Bendigo will come alive with many activities and events within walking distance of each other. There is stage entertainment as well as roving characters through the park and main streets. Music, dancing, food, art and shopping galore. The stunning celebrations of the city's Chinese heritage will enchant you, while the carnival is always a favourite with my family.

There are literally too many attractions to name them all, but here is just a sample of the variety on offer…

FReeZA MUSIC
%%Thursday 6pm - 10pm
Location: Rosalind Park
FREE EVENT%%

This is a free, fully supervised music event for all ages. This community event is drug, alcohol and smoke free. This year the headline act is 2015 Triple J Unearthed J Award Winner, Tired Lion.



ROTARY ART AND CRAFT MARKET
%%Friday and Sunday 9am - 4pm
Location: Bridge Street / Park Road%%

Who doesn't love a market?! With a range of art and craft stalls on offer, you'll be sure to find a special-something or two to take home. With rows and rows of high quality craft stalls, all the market favourites will be there, from homemade soaps to elaborate jewellery. When you've shopped till you've dropped, take a break and visit the range of food vendors, including a Rotary BBQ.



VISION AUSTRALIA EASTER EGG HUNT
%%Good Friday 9am - 3:30pm
Location: Rotunda Gardens
$11 per entry%%

One of the major attractions of the festival is always the Vision Australia Easter Egg Hunt on Good Friday. Kids of all ages will have a ball searching through straw for the thousands of hidden Easter eggs! With seven different age categories to ensure a fair hunt, this is a festival favourite not to miss. See www.bendigotourism.com to purchase tickets.



EXTENDED AWAKENING OF THE DRAGON
%%Saturday 11am - 4pm
Location: Dai Gum San Chinese Precinct
FREE EVENT%%

This unique cultural spectacle is proudly presented by the Bendigo Chinese Association in the Dai Gum San Chinese Precinct. The ceremony will showcase talent from across Australia, with Chinese dancing, dragon dancing, lion dancing, Chinese drummers and martial arts demonstrations. The event concludes with 100,00 firecrackers to ensure the imperial dragon Sun Loong is awoken for the Gala Parade on Sunday.





SATURDAY TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION & FIREWORKS
%%Saturday 8pm
Parade route: View Street, Pall Mall, McCrae Street, Chapel Street and Bridge Street
FREE EVENT%%

There are three sections to this beautiful night time parade; fire brigades and emergency services tribute, a beautiful lantern display and the Bendigo Chinese Association's spectacular Chinese section. At the conclusion of the parade, you'll be treated to an amazing display of fireworks over Rosalind Park.
From personal experience, my tip (and where you'll find me) is to book an outdoor table at one of the many beautiful restaurants along the parade route, then sit back and enjoy the spectacle in comfort while you enjoy some delicious food, wine & company. Perfect!





DRAGON MILE FUN RUN
%%From 11:00am Easter Sunday
Starting from Pall Mall%%

Starting in Pall Mall, the Dragon Mile is run through the main streets of Bendigo. There is a long standing history of the run attracting elite athletes as well as local families and individuals to participate, while crowds of thousands line the streets to watch.& #8232 ; Seehttp://www.bendigoharriers.com/ for more information and bookings.



SUNDAY GALA PARADE
%%Sunday 1pm
Parade route: View Street, Pall Mall, McCrae Street, Chapel Street and Bridge Street
FREE EVENT%%



Be sure to come early to secure your vantage point, this one is a festival favourite and is always crowded! And it's no wonder. The Gala Parade will weave its way around Bendigo's iconic streets, delighting young and old with it's display of community talents and organisations. The sounds, colour and skills of the Chinese Lion and Dragon dancers are truly something to behold. The highlight of the parade is undoubtedly the appearance of Sun Loong, the world's longest Imperial Chinese Dragon who only parades in public on this one event of the year. A very special sight!



ANTIQUE FAIR
%%Saturday 26/3/2016 (Easter Saturday): 10am - 5pm
Sunday 27/3/2016 (Easter Sunday): 10am - 5pm
Monday 28/3/2016 (Easter Monday): 10am - 4pm
$11.44 entry%%

Housing more than 30 antique dealers under one roof, the Bendigo Easter Antique Fair is one of the Victoria's largest and most popular antique fairs. A wide range of wares are on offer, such as military, jewellery, furniture, vintage goods and much more.

So if you're looking for a regional getaway this Easter, with something for everyone, look no further than the Bendigo Easter Festival. I'll see you there! See the official website or facebook page for more information.

#child_friendly
#community_events
#cultural_events
#day_trips
#easter
#family_attractions
#long_weekend
#victoria
#march
!date 25/03/2016 -- 28/03/2016
%wnmelbourne