The Creswick Brass band is bringing the sound of history back to Ballarat once again this Sunday as part of the Ballarat Heritage Festival.

The Happy Band from the Central Highlands is bringing the old tune beats to Ballarat’s CBD during Ballarat Heritage Festival. They’ll be playing at the Ballarat Train Station this Sunday, May 25 from 12 noon to 1pm as part of the wider festival program.

The Creswick Brass Brand plays regularly around Creswick and district at community events such as ANZAC Day, Australia Day and other functions and parades.

Currently playing in C Grade, Creswick has previously been State and National Champions in D Grade. Due to the growing number of members a second band was established in 2020, Jubilee Brass Band, who currently play in D Grade.

The Band has members ranging in age from eight to eighty, playing a wide range of music from traditional to modern.

Members say the band has a strong and growing Learners Program, and teaches music and brass technique to anyone who wants to learn, providing instruments for those that wish to take up banding.

The countdown is on for Ballarat’s biggest celebration of all things heritage, with some high-flying entertainment in store as the regional city’s annual heritage festival prepares to take off once again.

The festival annually transforms Ballarat into a living museum, inviting locals and visitors to step back in time and experience the stories, sounds, and traditions that have shaped the city.

The 10-day festival will be held from Friday 16 May to Sunday 25 May 2025, celebrating Ballarat’s rich heritage, unique stories and vibrant creative community.

The flagship event of the 2025 festival will be ‘Entertainment of the Air’ – a celebration of aviation aimed at aviation enthusiasts and families alike.

The free event will be based at the Ballarat Airport and will include a suite of entertainment options including live music from the 1940’s inspired singing trio Pacific Belles, vintage photographs, museums and exhibitions, plus the option to book a chartered vintage aircraft joy ride.  

A classic Douglas DC-3 aircraft, built in 1945, will even make the journey, chartering passengers from Essendon Airport before allowing people to get up close and personal with the aircraft in Ballarat.  

Free shuttle buses will also operate throughout both weekends to transport people between the airport, Ballarat Town Hall, Eureka Centre and Sovereign Hill.

The 2025 Heritage Festival will also see a return of familiar favourites. From vintage car shows to the Beard and Stache Competition, steam train rides to Old Ballarat Goal Tours, Craft Lab to the Ballarat Antiques Fair, there will be no shortage of entertainment on this year’s program.

City of Ballarat Councillor, Cr Samantha McIntosh said the Ballarat Heritage Festival provided a great opportunity to showcase the city’s complex and rich history.

“The Ballarat Heritage Festival is a true celebration of our city’s rich history and vibrant community spirit, bringing our past to life in an extraordinary way,” she said.

“The ‘Entertainment of the Air’ program looks especially exciting and I encourage people to head along to the Ballarat airport and experience something completely different in a place they might never have been in our city.”

More than 15,000 people are expected to attend this year’s festival, which is expected to contribute $2 million to the Ballarat economy.

The Ballarat Heritage Festival falls in the middle of a busy period for the City of Ballarat events team with preparations also in full swing for the three-week long Ballarat Winter Festival in July.

Events either owned or funded by the City of Ballarat injected an estimated $52 million into the Ballarat economy in the 2023/2024 financial year, from an investment of $3.1 million.

The Great Takeaway 24 is a chance for visitors to dine using some of the finest materials, textiles, glassware and ceramics produced in the Ballarat region – and then take the handcrafted materials home with them.

Set for May 23, the event is part of next month’s wider Ballarat Heritage Festival happening over May 17-26.

Diners who pay $275 for a ticket to attend the Great Takeaway in the Ballarat Mining Exchange building will get to experience a lavish food event served on individually handcrafted plates, cutlery, glassware and napery.

The point of difference is that at the close of the night they then get to leave with their lushly wrapped dining setting.

Further details are on the Ballarat Heritage Festival website.

One of Australia’s leading historians, Professor Marilyn Lake AO will present a talk on colonial radicalism and democratic equality as part of next month’s Ballarat Heritage fetival.

History and politial buffs are being invited to join Professor Lake as she delves into the achievements of radical colonial reform in Victoria culminating in the first compulsory minimum wage in the world in 1896.

Taking place at the Eureka Centre (pictured above) on May 17 Professor Lake’s evening guest talk will reflect her research in the fields of Australian, American and transnational history with a focus on the history of democracy and campaigns for sexual, racial and class equality.

Professor Marilyn Lake FAHA, FASSA, AO is Professorial Fellow in History at the University of Melbourne. She has previously held chairs in history at La Trobe University, Stockholm University, the University of Maryland and the Visiting Chair in Australian Studies at Harvard University.

Professor Lake has published a number of books, including ‘Getting Equal: the History of Australian Feminism’ (1999) and most recently, ‘Progressive New World: How Settler Colonialism and Transpacific Exchange Shaped American Reform’ (Harvard University Press 2019).

More information is available through the Ballarat Heritage Festival website.

Steamrail Victoria will be inviting all rail enthusiasts – and others – to jump aboard vintage steam shuttles with two heritage steam locomotives running as part next month’s Ballarat Heritage Festival.

“Wave to the Ballarat locals and the lineside photographers while we take you back in time aboard the vintage train,” A Steamrail Victoria spokesman said, ahead of the event.

“Our shuttle trips run 18km to the tiny country town of Lal Lal. Stopping just out of town, the train will then return you to Ballarat Station, passing high speed V/Line trains on the approach to Ballarat.”

One-way trains will also be operating between Melbourne and Ballarat, offering a unique chance to experience regional travel, 1920’s style during the festival held over May 17-26.

Preparations are now in full swing for the 2024 Ballarat Heritage Festival taking place in May.

Evening heritage tours, interactive exhibits, hands-on workshops and a vintage car show, are among the events that will be on offer as part of the festival this year.

The annual festival will also feature Old Gaol Tours, Craft Lab and the Ballarat Antiques Fair and Heritage Harvest weekend at Sovereign Hill.

The 10-day festival will be held from 17-26 May 2024, celebrating Ballarat’s rich heritage, unique stories and vibrant creative community.

With less than two months until the 2024 festival starts, those keen to find out more can now check out the full program online. 

More than 25,000 people are expected to attend this year’s festival, which is projected to contribute $2 million to the Ballarat economy.

Attending the program reveal for the Heritage Festival, City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the event has become a staple on the city’s events calendar since it was first held in 2006.

“Every year we see the Ballarat Heritage Festival celebrate the historic city’s rich cultural history and this year it is going to be particularly spectacular,” he said.

“With a large range of quality events on offer, there is almost certain to be something that interests everybody.”