Festival president David Richards said there were 20 activities on this year’s program, including some new ones, including a bush dance.

“This is the weekend Eaglehawk comes alive… There’s a real buzz about the place,” Mr Richards said.

The festival, which began in 1972, kicked off on Wednesday night at an official opening event at Star Cinema with Eaglehawk legend Jack Taylor, at which short films by secondary students were screened and awards given.

Revisit Eaglehawk Dahlia and Arts Festivals of years gone by:

This year, the Flack Advisory Youth Scholarship went to Julia and Macklyn Wellard and Maddi McGuinness, while the Lola Miller Short Film Competition prize was shared between five entrants, and the literary awards went to students from Queensland.

On Friday the Bendigo Art Society’s art exhibition opens at the St Peters Church hall and will continue to run over the weekend.

There is also the opportunity to be photographed with a dragon at Eaglehawk Library.

Community members can expect to see plenty more strange and wonderful creatures on Saturday during a highlight of the festival, the Gala Parade, with the theme for this year’s festival being ‘Myths and Legends’.

Judy Richards, who came up with the theme, said it was something she thought would lend itself well to the parade and the floats, and complemented other aspects of the festival such as the celebration of Cornish culture, which features much mythology.

This year the Australian Youth Band will travel up from Melbourne for the festival, performing during the parade and putting on a free concert in the park afterwards.

But before the parade, school students will entertain by busking on the suburb’s footpaths.

Tomorrow will also see the Gala Fair in Canterbury Park, the Eaglehawk Heritage Society’s exhibition, a 12 Shed art exhibition featuring the work of artists of all abilities, a folk and decorative art exhibition, a primary schools relay race, and a ‘Meet the Cornish’ event.

This will include an old tradition, a Bardic ceremony, which is conducted in Cornish.

Following the parade, there will also be a performance by lion teams, the flower show, and, in the evening, a bush dance.

Sunday will bring the Family Day and the cycling criterium, while there will be a trivia night on Monday and, next Friday, the Debutante Ball.

For more details on times and locations, visit www.eaglehawkfestival.org.au.