Bendigo Easter Festival
Encyclopedia
The Bendigo Easter Festival, formerly called the Bendigo Easter Fair, is an annual event held in Bendigo, Victoria
, Australia
since 1871. The festival includes the Easter procession which sees Sun Loong, the longest imperial dragon in the world, dance through the streets.
Easter Fair was instigated by Burnside and Aspinal to raise funds for the Sandhurst Benevolent Asylum and Hospital. The first fair was held in 1871 and raised over £1000 for this charitable cause. The fair was considered such a success that it has been held every year since, making it Australia's longest continuous running festival. The festival is held every Easter and throughout its history has varied from one to ten days in duration.
s, school
s, emergency service
s and business
es. The procession traditionally ends with the large Chinese section. The Chinese section has grown to over a 1000 participants. Chinese cultural groups from Bendigo and Melbourne
participate in the parade, demonstrating lion
and dragon dance
s. The procession is normally held on Easter Monday each year.
" attractions and children's rides.
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
since 1871. The festival includes the Easter procession which sees Sun Loong, the longest imperial dragon in the world, dance through the streets.
First fair
The first BendigoBendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
Easter Fair was instigated by Burnside and Aspinal to raise funds for the Sandhurst Benevolent Asylum and Hospital. The first fair was held in 1871 and raised over £1000 for this charitable cause. The fair was considered such a success that it has been held every year since, making it Australia's longest continuous running festival. The festival is held every Easter and throughout its history has varied from one to ten days in duration.
Easter procession
In 1893 reports in The Weekly Advertiser describe a procession which included a large and colourful Chinese section that delighted crowds. Since then the Chinese community has supported and been part of the festival. Today the procession features upwards of 100 floats entered by local community groupCommunity Group
Community Group are a British political party in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, founded in 2001. The Community Group has four councillors serving on Doncaster Metropolitan Borough council....
s, school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s, emergency service
Emergency service
Emergency services are organizations which ensure public safety and health by addressing different emergencies. Some agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies whilst others deal with ad hoc emergencies as part of their normal responsibilities...
s and business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es. The procession traditionally ends with the large Chinese section. The Chinese section has grown to over a 1000 participants. Chinese cultural groups from Bendigo and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
participate in the parade, demonstrating lion
Lion dance
Lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is often mistakenly referred to as dragon dance. An easy way to tell the difference is that a lion is operated by two people, while a dragon needs many people...
and dragon dance
Dragon dance
Dragon dance is a form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture. Like the lion dance it is most often seen in festive celebrations. Many Chinese people often use the term "Descendants of the Dragon" as a sign of ethnic identity, as part of a trend started in the 1970s. Another...
s. The procession is normally held on Easter Monday each year.
Torchlight procession
The torchlight procession is a night-time parade which began before 1900. It features local emergency services, with local volunteer fire brigade members marching with brass torches. In recent times the parade has ended at Lake Weeroona where entertainment, activities and fireworks have been held. The torchlight procession is held on Easter Sunday each year."Popular Girl"
A fund raising event called the "Popular Girl" was held in which well-known local women raised money and in doing so gained "votes" and the woman who raised the largest number of votes was crowned as the Popular Girl. The competition is no longer held. The 2010 parade contained a section in which a number of past Popular Girls paraded once again.Carnival
Originally held in several locations, including Rosalind Park, Bendigo Showgrounds and, more recently, the Bendigo Central Business District, the carnival features a large number of "sideshow alleySideshow alley
A sideshow alley is an Australian term for the cluster of attractions that may accompany public events such as agricultural shows. It is similar to the American term 'midway'...
" attractions and children's rides.