While many pubs and bars were forced to close on Saturday night, the darkness just added to the party atmosphere at the Cudgewa Hotel.

“We had a Christmas smorgasbord and entertainer and all of a sudden we had 30 people eating by candlelight and torches,” hotel licensee John Kakoschke said.

“The entertainer grabbed his acoustic guitar, we sat outside and listened to some music unplugged.”

It was a different story in Corryong, where the pubs closed when the power cut out about 7.30pm until after midnight, leaving the entire town in darkness.

Leading Sen-Constable Ken Clark, of Corryong police, said despite the “silly season”, the power outage made for a quiet Saturday night.

The SES responded to a small number of requests for help across the Border, with the majority of calls for leaking roofs.

Rain fell hard on Saturday, with Beechworth receiving 29 millimetres in 45 minutes in the morning but Falls Creek got the most with 66 millimetres.

A severe storm warning was issued by the SES in the afternoon but was cancelled a few hours later as the weather eased.

The worst damage was in Wangaratta, where the roof of a shop caved in.