With the changes to this year's event meaning the focus will not be just at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, businesses across the district will be celebrating the festival in style all throughout the month.

During March, Buninyong business including Saltbush Kitchen, The Shared Tables and Red Door Pizzeria will work together to create a special experience for visitors.

In addition to an art installation at the Buninyong Botanical Gardens, the businesses will be hosting a progressive dinner on March 18-19.

There will also be a 'how to grow bushfoods in your own garden' classes which will be held every Saturday throughout the month at Saltbush Kitchen with Andrew Aitkin from Buninyong Bushfoods.

Picnic packs will also be available from The Shared Table and The Bush Box from Saltbush Kitchen which will feature a range of locally grown and sourced products.

Saltbush Kitchen's Brigid Corcoran said she was delighted the town had been included as part of the festival. She said she was keen to see not just visitors, but locals from the Ballarat region coming out throughout the month to visit areas such as Lal Lal and Mount Innes, and experiencing the sites from themselves.

"I think it's fantastic," she said. "One of the reasons to visit Ballarat is the beautiful surrounding areas, landscapes. It encourages people to see places they haven't been before and gives you a chance to discover how beautiful the whole area is.

"The beauty of the longer festival is that, even if you can't make it on a long weekend, you're able to come along any weekend."

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