‘Song, Story, Dance; Ceremony and Celebration’. The Lake Bolac Eel Festival recognises the annual Autumn Aboriginal gatherings by the lake to feast on eels as they started their migration downstream and out to sea.
Lake Bolac, in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, is sacred to the First Nations people of the area.
For tens of thousands of years, it has hosted a large gathering of clans for the eel season.
There, clans met for special and important business, especially the exchange of ceremony and lore, trading of goods, and marriage celebrations.
Today, the Lake Bolac Eel Festival, which recognises this historic gathering, attracts people from all walks of life out on to country to gather by the shores of the lake to share, learn, remember and celebrate.
The festival is held every two years in the autumn and reflects the season when the eels traditionally begin their migration to the open ocean to spawn.
From 2005 to 2014 the festival was held annually and since 2016 biennially. The festival is relaxed and friendly offering plenty to engage people all ages.
2024 Program
The 2024 festival includes
- Art Auction on Friday March 22nd
- Live music from the festival and buskers stage
- Twilight celebrations
- Workshops
- Food and market stalls
- Information displays
- Welcome to Country
- Festival Forum
For more information and tickets, please visit the Festival Website here.
