MORE COVERAGE: Bendigo Easter 2016 | HQ

GALLERY:  Bendigo Easter Festival Saturday

From live music to children’s rides, Chinese dancing to painting, the festival provided something for everyone.

Of the countless activities and moments in Rosalind Park on Saturday, two men on stilts, brandishing ukuleles and mandolins, at one point fittingly belted out a version of AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top, while children carried around show bags and rode on old fire trucks.

A healthy crowd watched performance after performance outside the Chinese museum. 

For the car enthusiasts, corvettes lined parts of Bridge Street and Park Road, while the Veteran, Vintage and Classic Club Bendigo displayed their impressive wheels in Hargreaves Mall.

Pat Zoch was enjoying the festival with her grandchildren in Rosalind Park. She has only recently moved to Bendigo, but said memories of festivals past remained with her.

“I haven’t been to many festivals of late. When I was a child I came here. And probably about 20 years ago I came with my youngest children,” she said.

“It’s a beautiful day and all the volunteers are doing a great job. Everyone seems to have a smile on their face.”

Viet Nguyen, a Vietnam citizen who is studying in Melbourne, knew nothing of the festival until Good Friday when his friends told him about it.

By the next morning, he had travelled to Bendigo with his family and was enjoying the activities in Rosalind Park.

“Our friends were here yesterday. They told us something about it – we are so excited,” he said.

“I think we will come back again. Bendigo is so beautiful.”

Lion dancer Sean Oum, a Chinese-Cambodian who lives in Melbourne, said this was the third year he had come to Bendigo for the Easter Festival. 

“It’s the culture and sharing it with other people and displaying our passion for martial arts, folk dance and dragon dance,” he said.

A number of artists were positioned around Rosalind Park painting as people wandered past, occasionally stopping. 

Brian Rabacal, a Strathdale resident, was putting the finishing touches on a painting of Jesus rising on Easter Sunday.

“It’s 95 per cent done,” he said.

“Whether people believe this is true or a myth, we’re here celebrating Easter.”

Mr Rabacal, who is from the Philippines, also exhibited artwork at the Rotary Art Show at the Town Hall during the Easter weekend. 

Another artist, Ken Rookes, was painting the scene in front of him – a bustling children’s farm.

“I do a bit of printmaking, a bit of painting,” he said.

“I’m now retired. I should have a bit more time for it. That’s easier said than done.”

The National Corvette Convention has cruised into town for the Easter weekend, bringing with it 120 Corvettes from all over Australia. 

Seven generations of the iconic American sports car have been on display in Bridge Street and Park Road, Bendigo. 

“We’ve got cars from all over Australia, visitors from New Zealand and a number of visitors from the US,” said Garth Bradbury, chair of the convention.

It is the first time the convention, which is held in a different state each year, has come to Bendigo.

“The council has been brilliant. They have made it really easy,” Mr Bradbury said.

Capturing lots of attention was a Corvette police car with the motto “protect and swerve” emblazoned on its side.

Enthusiasts differed in their opinions of which model of Corvette was the best, Mr Bradbury said.

“My (favourite) is the 1963 – that seems to be the iconic car and what really got Corvettes going,” he said. 

Crowds packed into the Dai Gum San Chinese precinct on Saturday to witness the annual awakening of Sun Loong.

Loong, the world’s longest imperial dragon and centrepiece of the Easter Parade, was awakened in the late afternoon in a dazzling display of sounds and visuals.

The dragon’s first public appearance of the festival is on the Sunday when the gala parade is held.

Festivities began in the morning, with Chinese dancers, martial artists and other performers from across Australia entertaining onlookers.

Golden Dragon Museum president Doug Lougoon said the program for this year’s awakening was expanded.

“There’s a really good crowd, which is great to see,” he said. 

“We’ve got visiting lion teams from as far afield as Darwin, Sydney and of course, Melbourne.

“They love coming to Bendigo. They’re very active in their own cities but they love getting here at Easter time.”

Judging by the excitement in the audience on Saturday, so do many others.

We’d love to see photos of how you are celebrating Easter! Send us your pictures and video through our Facebook page, our Snapchat account bgoaddy or by using #bendigoeaster on Instagram and Twitter.