Pictures: Bendigo's Easter Gala Parade kicks off

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THE majestic Sun Loong once again wowed the crowd at the Bendigo Advertiser Gala Parade on Sunday afternoon. 

The 100-metre imperial dragon ended the parade, much to the delight of the thousands of spectators who came to catch a glimpse. 

Sixty-two entries and thousands of participants took part in the one and a half hour parade. 

Bendigo Easter Festival Advisory Board chairman Councillor Rod Fyffe said the parade was a great success.

"It was fantastic to see so many community members out and about and everyone enjoying themselves," he said.

"There were huge crowds and it was great to see so many people doing the right thing by each other."

Cr Fyffe paid tribute to the contribution of the festival's 80 volunteers, who put in more than 1200 hours of work. 

"Everyone was putting in the hard yards behind the scenes to make it such a spectacle and such a memorable event," he said.

Cr Fyffe said the event received a great turn out. 

"People were eight or nine deep along Pall Mall; the crowds were fantastic," he said.

He praised the behaviour and community-mindedness of festival-goers.

"There was very little rubbish left behind and everyone seemed to be helping the little ones to see," he said.

Now Sun Loong was back in his home at the Chinese Dragon Museum, Cr Fyffe said the festival committee was looking forward to making the event even better in coming years.

"The 150th [in 2021] is going to be an outstanding event," he said.

"We're working to add a few things in before then."