The Ballarat Begonia Festival drew huge crowds to the Botanic Gardens, while the ChillOut Festival saw large numbers converge on Daylesford.

More than 100 exhibitors set up at the Ballarat Badminton Stadium for the 35th annual Ballarat Antique Fair, while the University of Ballarat's SMB campus played host to the 39th Begonia Open Chess

Tournament.

Then there was the 37th Ballarat Begonia Senior Tournament, which attracted almost 70 basketball teams from across Victoria and Adelaide, including crew members from the Anzac Class Frigate, HMAS

Ballarat.

Ballarat motel operators reported an influx of visitors, while diners spilled outside city cafes and restaurants.

All this, while Ballarat enjoyed blue skies, scorching sun and hot summer temperatures of up to 32.8C.

In a stark contrast to the Begonia Festival Parade a week before, hats and sunglasses replaced raincoats and umbrellas as the mercury topped 28.8C at 5pm on Saturday and 32.8C at 3pm yesterday.

Festival director Barb Chalkley said while official numbers were not yet known, she was delighted with the crowds.

"Everything has run to order so far, we're really delighted with the success of this year's festival," she said.

"Obviously, we're very happy with the weather and delighted with the crowds."

The ChillOut Festival was also given a big "thumbs up", with a street parade attracting a large number of onlookers.

"This is the sixth year I've come here and I would say it's definitely now rivalling Sydney," parade participant Tina Sparkles said.

"But it's a totally different atmosphere to Sydney, it feels a lot more relaxed and more friendly here."

Barkly Motor Lodge employee Jason Phillips said the motel was booked out across the weekend.

"We've been booked out all weekend. The Labour Day long weekend is always one of the busiest weekends of the year," he said.

Mid City owner Kaye Hurley agreed.

"It's been a very busy weekend with all of the events in town, not just the Begonia Festival. We've been heavily booked since the beginning of last week," she said.

Da Vincis Cafe Restaurant manager Michael Wood said the restaurant had also experienced a constant flow of people.