Event date - 27 March to 28 March 2026.

Lake Bolac, in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, is sacred to the First Nations people of the area.

For tens of thousands of years, it has hosted a large gathering of clans for the eel season. 

There, clans met for special and important business, especially the exchange of ceremony and lore, trading of goods, and marriage celebrations.

Today, the Lake Bolac Eel Festival, which recognises this historic gathering, attracts people from all walks of life out on to country to gather by the shores of the lake to share, learn, remember and celebrate. 

The festival is held every two years in the autumn and reflects the season when the eels traditionally begin their migration to the open ocean to spawn. 

From 2005 to 2014 the festival was held annually and since 2016 biennially. The festival is relaxed and friendly offering plenty to engage people all ages.