Colac’s biggest festival is the Kana Festival. Originally, the festival was known as the Kanyana Festival, an indigenous word which has the same meaning as Melbourne’s Moomba Festival, “let’s get together and have fun”. Over the more than sixty years, there have been many format changes, but the meaning has never changed.
The highlight of the festival is the huge street parade down Colac’s main street, Murray Street, where thousands of people, young and old, pack the street for this wonderful display of colour, music, and fun.
The fun originally moved to Colac’s main square, Memorial Square, but will now move to the Colac Showgrounds in 2025 as the festival celebrates its 65th year. Here, there is a wealth of entertainment, food, and good times. There are jumping castles, community group performances, and old favourites like face painting, sausage sizzles, and some local beer and wine for the adults to try.
Colac is about an hour’s drive south-west of Geelong along the Princes Highway and has plenty to offer. The next Kana Festival will be held on Saturday, 15 March 2025, at the Colac Showgrounds.
