The Bendigo Chinese Association brought life and colour to the streets of the CBD with an impressive array of costumes and dance performances.

Sun Loong - the world’s longest imperial dragon - was again the focus as he weaved his way along the streets and 100,000 firecrackers were let off to ward off evil spirits.

However, before Sun Loong made his appearance, Bendigo’s other cultural groups made a big impression on the crowd.

The newly formed Karen Democratic Development Organisation of Bendigo walked in the parade with a banner that read “The Karen are Happy in Bendigo”.

The East African Community of Castlemaine wowed the crowd with their traditional costume and dance.

The Bendigo Australia Indonesia Klub, and the Mugi Rahayu also took part in the parade.

“We want to introduce ourselves to the people of Bendigo,” BAIK vice-president Marthin Nanere said.

“We want to show people that we are here, and we want to show them our culture and our background.

“But we also want to show them that we are one - Australian.”Sherilyn Butler said that acceptance of different cultures was one of the highlights of the parade,” It’s great to see all the different cultures, and see them being a part of the community.” ”It really makes me proud to live in Bendigo.”