Organisers claim 8000 at festival

The Ettalong Beach Festival has been estimated by organisers to have attracted more than 8000 people over the weekend of Friday, March 16, to Sunday, March 18.

Creative director Ms Ylenna Zajec said the festival's entertainment program was "a huge success and brought a richness of culture to the Central Coast".

The Festival included a ball on Friday night at the senior citizens' centre.

Ms Zajec said that those attending went to great lengths to "dress retro", complete with bee-hive hair-dos and false eyelashes, in keeping with the night's theme of the 60s era.

A screening on the Saturday night of an original documentary by Bob Fitzgerald at Cinema Paradiso was attended by 200 people.

Two screenings of the documentary sold out three weeks in advance which prompted the organisers to hold another screening at Sunday's Street Festival.

The documentary explored the theme of Then and Now with original stories from local residents, a mix of interviews spliced with historical film footage and scenes of Ettalong Beach over the last century.

The film also included true stories about the town's past characters, the shops, the picture show, the dance hall, roller skating rink, the waterslide, the connection with Sydney's underbelly and the devastating fire which wiped out the Ettalong Beach town.

"The newcomers to the Central Coast felt they had a greater understanding of the place in which they live, and for the residents who have been here for a long time, the film brought back fond memories of how Ettalong used to be, and they reconnected with each other at the film screenings," said Ms Zajec.

The Festival's final day saw the street filled with dancing which began with the indigenous smoke ceremony and Ganang Spirit dancers.

The crowd saw Morris dancers and a theatrical Balkan performance dance with live musicians from Dusha Balkana.

"The community loved the way that the Ettalong Beach Festival brought them together in celebrating community spirit, gave them a sense of place, and sprinkled some joy and happiness into their lives," Ms Zajec concluded.

Media Release, 20 Mar 2012 Ylenna Zajec, Ettalong Beach Festival Website, 26 Mar 2012 Ettalong Beach Festival Facebook page