The city's third PRIDE festival kicked off three weeks ago on March 19.

The first weekend of events featured the Pride in The Park party at Rosalind Park and the Homophonic queer orchestra.

OTHER NEWS: Woman hospitalised after being struck by truck in Kyneton

While the three-week-long event has been labelled a huge success, organiser John Richards said the festival could have been bigger if it hadn't overlapped with other local events including the Elvis exhibition and the Lost Trades Fair.

"The fact that every single event in Bendigo has been on at the same time has been a slight issue," he said."

"By the time we had got everything together this year every single hotel room was booked."

Mr Richards said ticket sales to this years festival have been slightly less than usual because visitors had nowhere to stay in town due to the amount of events on at the same time.

"Transmansplaining has always sold out every year because people would come from all over the state to see it," he said.

"But this year they had nowhere to stay, so they would have had to drive back to Melbourne or wherever, so it didn't sell out.

"That has affected sales to some events."

OTHER NEWS: Bendigo train collides with car in Swan Hill

While the amount of simultaneous events did bring some unlikely festival-goers, Mr Richards said next year the festival would try to avoid running concurrently to other events.

Nonetheless, the festival has been dubbed a success, particularly due to significant numbers of younger festival-goers.

"It really feels like the festival is building," he said.

"It was so amazing to see queer teens with bunches of their friends trying to get involved.

"Especially for someone like me who was still closeted at that age, it's amazing how things have changed and how brave young people are now.

"We even had parents coming with their queer kids, you know saying 'this is my lesbian daughter and she wants to get involved', how amazing is that?"

For Mr Richards, the festival highlight was focus on trans man Edward De Lacy Evans.

"The story has an ending now, he can be a hero for us. And I've seen young trans men around the festival who have been calling him a hero - it's amazing to give people that history," he said.

OTHER NEWS: Messy Play Day returns to Bendigo Toy Library on Saturday

Local drag queen Deborah Triangle closed off the festival on Saturday with the PRIDE markets.

Deborah said the amount of young people in the festival was definitely noticeable.

"It's been a great show of pride, and I know that pride will continue throughout the year even after the festival is over," she said.

The festival will wrap up on Sunday with the drinks tram rolling on for one final time, carrying another local drag queen - Polly Filla.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: