A change of location and times for the main events proved popular, with locals and visitors to the town alike celebrated the heritage and significance of the annual festival.

“It was a fantastic day,” Hilltops Council mayor Brian Ingram said.

“The crowd grew as the day went on, the spectacle of the lion dancing and the parade later in the evening was fantastic. You couldn’t move down the bottom end of the street, it was absolutely packed.”

Mayor Ingram believes the crowds were bigger at this year’s festival compared to the 2017 event.

“It was substantially bigger,” he said. “It has definitely grown and become more popular and by far the crowd was the largest we’ve had.”

Mayor Ingram credits the hard work of organisers for the increase in numbers that attended this year’s Chinese Festival.

“All the hard work and a lot of advertising and the staff put a great deal of time into planning it and contacting the relevant people and letting people know it was on was one thing but getting people to participate is another.

“The stalls that were up and down the street were fantastic, there was a bit of variety, there was a bit of something there for everyone and that’s what makes it feel more like a festival.”