The City of Greater Bendigo is preparing to stage Awaken - Bendigo brought to light with some changes to keep the community safe.
Due to COVID-19 health requirements, the unique sensory night time experience in Rosalind Park will be a ticketed event to safely manage crowd numbers.
To ensure everyone is able to enjoy the event, residents are encouraged to take advantage of weeknight sessions during the school holidays.
Awaken is a free event that captures Bendigo's fascinating stories and rich history through a radiant display of lasers, holograms and sensory experiences each night from Saturday June 26 to Saturday July 17.
The 13 installations celebrate the Traditional Owners of the land, Bendigo's gold mining past, Chinese migration, Rosalind Park's own horticultural heritage and much more.
Manager Tourism and Major Events Terry Karamaloudis said due to current State Government advice for managing larger events, Awaken had now become a ticketed event.
"We anticipate that Awaken is going to be a hugely popular event not only for residents but also for visitors from Melbourne and elsewhere. Our priority is to run a COVID-safe event and ticketing the event will allow us to manage numbers safely," Mr Karamaloudis said.
"It is still a free event that will take place during the school holidays and I encourage residents to take advantage of booking sessions during the week to get the best experience and not miss out.
"It's also a great opportunity to enjoy a night out in the city centre during the week with a meal or a drink and support our local hospitality businesses.
"Awaken will run from 6pm to 10pm Sunday to Thursday and from 7pm to 11pm on Friday and Saturday, so there will be plenty of opportunities to experience this spectacular event.
"By attending during the week, it helps to ensure sessions are evenly booked over the event's three-week run and reduce disappointment, particularly during weekends when visitors from Melbourne and elsewhere will be keen to visit and stay.
"Awaken is also a great opportunity for visitors to take a short break in Greater Bendigo with a booking at any of our leading accommodation providers.
"Anyone attending Awaken will be required to check-in via the Victorian Government's QR code app, with QR codes to be displayed around the park."
Rosalind Park will be fenced and there will be normal access during the day. From 5pm every night during Awaken, the fences will be closed and there will only be one way to enter and exit the park. An Awaken map is also available on Google Play and IOS.
Tickets are available to book from 9am this morning, head to: https://www.bendigoregion.com.au/explore-bendigo/whatson/awaken-bendigo-brought-to-light.
