Today's announcement follows advice from Australia's Chief Medical Officer recommending all non-essential organised mass gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled from Monday.
Representatives from the City of Greater Bendigo and Bendigo Easter Fair Society have agreed this year's event will be cancelled and rescheduled to take place next Easter, in 2021.
City Director Strategy and Growth Bernie O'Sullivan thanked event organisers, partners and supporters for their hard work and commitment to planning this year's anniversary celebrations and said he looked forward to 2021.
"We are extremely disappointed to be making this announcement, as we are famous for the Bendigo Easter Festival. It is a major event for our city and there are many thousands of residents and visitors that make the festival a tradition they enjoy each year," Mr O'Sullivan said.
"However, we also understand and respect today's advice from Australia's Chief Medical Officer and we have a responsibility to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone who would have come to, participated in or worked at the festival in some way.
"Like many event organisers around the world, we could never have anticipated something like this would occur but we need to respond in line with current advice. I would like to thank all staff and community members involved in planning this year's festivities.
"We now look forward to next year and pulling out all the stops to mark a very memorable 150 years."
Bendigo Easter Fair Society President Simon Mulqueen said moving the event to another weekend was discussed but was deemed not appropriate.
"The Bendigo Easter Festival needs to happen at Easter, it would not be the same at any other time and we would not want to condense such a special anniversary into just a weekend," Mr Mulqueen said.
"I know many people have worked very hard but all is not lost, we will just continue to channel our efforts into preparing for our 150th anniversary celebrations to take place in 2021."
