The city has taken full advantage of the public holiday and wonderful weather, with a huge number of people flooding through the Ballarat Show gates on Friday.
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Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society president Kerri Gallagher said the draw of Family Day had proven incredibly strong.
“It’s probably the first time in many years that we’ve seen such a large number of people at day one of the Ballarat Show,” she said.
“We try to put on something different every year, and we’ve definitely done that in 2017.
“The public response has been incredible, to see the number of people who have turned up to watch The Courier’s Rooftop Express already is amazing.
“The Petstock Pavilion animal nursery is just booming too, there’s really people everywhere.”
Now in its 151st year, the Ballarat Show showcases arts, crafts, cooking, livestock and working animals from around the region.
More than 300 displays and attractions are onsite, include a plethora of showbags and high-octane carnival rides.
Ms Gallagher said the fun and excitement was set to continue for the rest of the Show weekend.
“Across the whole showgrounds, we have lots of crowd favourites and we’re really trying to cater for all ages,” she said.
“Saturday hosts the Australian and Victorian Championships for the woodchop, so that’s definitely a massive draw card.
“Our major beef cattle judging begins on Saturday afternoon and goes through until Sunday.”
“And of course you’ll still find all the popular rides and showbags in force.”
With weekend weather predicted to be sunny and dry all weekend, emergency service workers are reminding patrons to keep cool.
St John Ambulance divisional operations manger Sharon Monson said the team had already attended to a number of heat-related illnesses.
“We’ve had a few incidents already, mostly due to the heat,” she said. “So if you’re coming out, be prepared.”
“It’s looking incredibly hot across the weekend, so it’s important everyone is sun smart with broad-brimmed hats and sunscreen.
“Keep reapplying sunscreen every few hours, and take advantage of the taps at the showgrounds and drink lots of water.
“We have free sunscreen and we can assist with refilling water bottles if needed.”
The 3BA Fireworks Spectacular starts at 9pm on Saturday.
Ballarat Agricultural and Pastoral Society reminds everyone to consider their pets at this time and make sure they are secure.
Gates open at 9:30am. Entry is $40 for a family, $17 for adults, $10 for pensioners, $7 for children, under five free.