City of Greater Bendigo acting manager of tourism and major events Jemma Docherty said the cancellation of the Lost Trades Fair and Bendigo Madison has not slowed plans for the Bendigo Easter Fair.

The fair is scheduled for April 2 to 5, a month after the Lost Trades Fair and Bendigo Madison were set for.

"As we discussed at the end of last year, the Easter Fair is still in the throes of planning," Ms Docherty said.

"We are working thorugh what a COVID Safe Bendigo Easter Fair looks like for 2021.

"At the moment, the COVID Safe Plan is still going through the planning (with the state government). "We are doing simulations on what Easter could look like with various formats and they'll be updated."

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Ms Docherty said while it was disappointing to see two events cancelled, Bendigo was still seeing a lot of support from visitors.

"It's sad to see we're having events cancelling again this year but in the end it is about the safety for our residents and visitors," she said.

"Bendigo is open for business and we are still seeing a alot of people coming into town for our attractiona, beautiful accommodation and eateries under the City of Gastronomy headline.

"We have Summer in the Parks running and we have the tennis on. So we are still seeing people here.

"But it is also about getting down and supporting our attractions. There are a number of reasons for people to come to Bendigo and we're seeing people in large numbers."

Update, 11.55am

Lost Trades Fair founder and organiser Lisa Rundell said making the decision to cancel the 2021 event was heartbreaking.

"The decision we made in October to go ahead was because everything looked good," she said. "We had print ads, flyers and everything out there then New Year's Eve happened and we didn't move to the COVID Safe Summer phase two as we thought we were going to.

"Realistically, moving to that and phase three in six weeks is unlikely. That's where we need to be for everyone's sake.

"There were a couple trains of thought of pushing on (but we) run the risk of borders being locked down and artisans being locked in or out of Victoria."

Ms Rundell said 25 per cent of the fair's artisans come from interstate along with people interested in the trades.

"We have bookings from northern Australia to South Australia and hundreds of people through Queensland, Brisbane and Sydney," she said. "What we thought was 'if the state locks down a week before (the event) what to do people do?'

"This was the right decision but a disappointing one. We don't want to be seen as recklessly running an event when others have cancelled. We're not an essential service, we can all go along and get back to workshops."

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Ms Rundell said the experience of the fair was also diminished by coronavirus restrictions.

"It was also getting watered-down because of the social distancing part of it," she said. "Part of the ethos and fun of the fair is watching what people doing, so you do have to get fairly close.

"It's not something you enjoy from a couple of metres back. So it got to a point that it wasn't a fair we wanted to deliver."

The Lost Trades Fair moved to Bendigo, from Kyneton, for the first time last year.

After it was held in march, Victoria began closing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic grew more serious, Ms Rundell also cancelled Lost Trades Fairs in Toowoomba in Queensland and Hawkesbury, NSW.

"We were so fortunate last year to be able to run the event," she said. "You look at photos of 20,000 people that weekend and four days later, they locked everything down.

"It's nothing new to have to cancel. We will likely have to cancel Toowoomba in May again. We are planning for it but it is unlikely with border restrictions.

"It is just a big unknown. The reality is not everyone will be vaccinated by mid year. It's incredibly disappointing for artisans and our team. But we knew the risks and went in with eyes wide open."

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The Lost Trades Fair has cancelled its March event citing the challenging circumstances and ever-changing restrictions on events.

It was due to go ahead on March 6 and 7 - the same weekend as the Bendigo Madison, which was also cancelled last night.

The Lost Trades Fair made the announcement on Facebook late last night.

"On behalf of artisans and the Lost Trades team - it does not need to be said that it is with a heavy heart that we announce the cancellation of the Lost Trades Fair Bendigo in March," the post read.

"Despite the last couple of months of preparation, Covid-Safe planning and ticket sales being strong, the position on events changes daily and the potential for more border lockdowns is challenging for many artisans and visitors."

Organisers said on Facebook that they made the decision now rather than waiting until a few days until the event.

"The last thing we want is to be cancelling a few days out or thought of as reckless by holding an event that draws artisans and visitors from not only across the state but interstate," they wrote.

"The decision has been made first and foremost for the health and safety of everyone involved this is more important than anything else.

"We would like to thank the team at Bendigo Tourism and Bendigo Racecourse for their support and look forward to bringing Lost Trades and plenty of inspiration back in March 2022."

Organisers are planning to refund tickets.

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