Festival program
Core activities
Art Auction and dinner
A fun and interesting part of the festival program is the art auction and dinner.
The auction supports the work of talented regional artists and includes dinner.
Many of the exhibiting artists are present in the night and you can meet them and discuss their works before bidding and securing your original piece inspired by country.
Indigenous caterers are engaged for the dinner which is included in the Art Auction ticket price.
Then take your art home with you to enjoy forever, a unique way to appreciate and remember the joy of community and creativity.
Proceeds from the purchase of artworks benefit both artists and the ongoing future of the festival.
Festival Forum
An integral part of each year’s program is the Festival Forum which offers engaging and insightful presentations from guest speakers highlighting the particular festival theme.
Other forums have focused on grasslands, volcanoes, return to country, migration of people, plants and animals, biodiversity of indigenous grasslands, climate, energy and the future.
Always informative and sometimes confronting, it is a highly anticipated part of the festival program.
Workshops and other activities
The festival features a variety of workshops and activities for all ages, interests and capabilities.
Food van operators offer dishes of many cultures and cuisines with BBQ eel a special inclusion.
Off-site food options include a café, takeaway food and drinks, a supermarket and hotel dinners.
Priority is given to local and craft- based market stalls.
A diverse range of engaging workshops are offered. Previous workshops have included eel skin tanning, bush foods and basket weaving.
There is no additional cost for workshops.
The Twilight Ceremony
A key part of the festival is the twilight ceremony which features Indigenous dancing and storytelling.
The Twilight Ceremony marks the transition into the evening events. It's a really special part of the festival, and everything else stops during this time.
Beginning as a simple ceremonial campfire gathering in 2005, it has developed into a unique celebration incorporating Indigenous dance, music and community theatre telling stories of Country and always based around the story of the eel migration.
The Healing Walk
The Healing Walk began in 2005 when Neil Murray, musician and storyteller, conceived the plan to walk with Traditional Owners along waterways that flow into Lake Bolac, following the path of the migrating eels. The Eel Festival had a modest beginning, as a celebratory concert around a campfire at the end of these walks. The walk no longer occurs at the same time as the Eel Festival but it is an integral part.
Neil Murray writes in his history of the walk:
'When you walk in Country, things come to you. Your senses sharpen. Your perception of time and distance adapts to walking pace and you see everything within that parameter. You are alert to detail. It’s not just that you notice particular rocks, soil, tracks, grasses, plants, trees, insects, lizards, birds and animals - but you begin to discern why you see them. What caused them and what relationship they have with something else. In short, everything speaks. Everything has a story.'
Since the first Healing Walk from the mouth of the Hopkins River to Lake Bolac, each year a small group of around 20 have walked one of the waterways associated with the lake. The Healing Walk now occurs at different times of the year, at a variety of locations in the region.
These walks have been made possible through the cooperation of landholders, farmers and community members along the routes. The participation of members of local Indigenous communities is an integral part of the walks.
As well as the Healing Walk, this year a 3 km Lake Walk will take place on the Sunday morning of the Eel Festival. This walk is an initiative of Beyond Bolac Catchment Action Group and the Eel Festival. In a small way, these steps honour walking on Country.
Live music
The festival’s Live Music Program on the Saturday, provides a wide array of eclectic acts and styles while retaining its grass-roots origins.
Its hallmark is a line-up of musicians and performers who embrace Eel Festival values, understand its cultural and environmental significance, and are committed to reconciliation.
Renowned singer/songwriter Neil Murray has an ongoing connection as an initiator of the Eel Festival, not just as a musician but also through the Healing Walks he leads and support he provides for the festival. Neil was born in Lake Bolac and has performed at the festival every year.
The Eel Festival attracts a diverse range of performers with a variety of musical styles. We particularly celebrate First Nations artists. Some of the performers are recognised and celebrated internationally, nationally, while others are new and emerging. All perform their own original material.
