Easter Festival program revealed

THE program for this year’s Bendigo Easter Festival was announced this week and it’s chock-a-block with activities.

Events will take place all over the city and include the Good Friday Easter Egg Hunt in Rosalind Park, and the popular Rotary Market held over two days in Pall Mall and Hargreaves Street.

Other highlights this year include musical offerings at the Bull Street Festival, and the Fosterville Stage at Rosalind Park.

Also the not to be missed is the torchlight procession on Saturday night featuring participation from local emergency services and the Bendigo Chinese Association.

City of Greater Bendigo spokesperson Cr Vaughn Williams said while some of the details are still being ironed out, it’s sure to be a great three-day event.

“This has been happening for over 150 years and there’s always been a synergy between the Easter parade and the Chinese community in Bendigo,” he said.

“Easter in Bendigo every year is one of the biggest events that we actually hold in Bendigo, apart from what we do at the art gallery.”

President of Bendigo Chinese Association, Doug Lougoon, said visiting dragons from all over the country will join Dai Gum Loong to honour their historic involvement with Bendigo’s Easter Parade, as well as the Year of the Dragon.

“We’ll be heavily involved over the weekend,” he said.

“We’ll have our awakening of the dragon ceremony on the Saturday afternoon which follows the xīqíng, a joyous celebration on the morning of the Saturday.”

The dragon, Dai Gum Loong, won’t appear until the conclusion of the Sunday gala parade, but Mr Lougoon said audiences can look forward to traditional lion dances.

“We hope to make enough noise and racket to wake Dai Gum Loong from his sleep from last year and he will have been blessed the week before in our traditional private ceremony,” he said.

For Mr Lougoon personally, he said being involved in the Easter Festival was a continuation of family tradition.

“In our family being part of the community expands further on the traditions that Bendigo’s Chinese community has always put on a good display at Easter,” he said.

More information on the festivities to come can be found on the Bendigo Easter Festival website.