Live theatre, additional family events and music were among the additions to Beechworth's event.

Festival committee chair Jim Didolis said thousands enjoyed the golden shoeing of the horse, markets and historic re-enactments that ran across the weekend.

"There wasn't one sad face and we had great weather," he said.

"People came from far and wide; we heard the roads were clogged coming up from Melbourne to this region.

"The community wants the parade and the public wanted that, and if we can get out of COVID and not have the situation where you have to get special permits, there will definitely be a parade again."

In absence of a parade, the committee co-ordinated a program with 25 attractions and a significant line-up of music and theatre.

Those performances included 'The Man They Called Banjo', which recounts the personal story behind the writing of Waltzing Matilda, and 'The Go-Between', about William Murrungurk Buckley, an escaped convict who lived with the Wathaurong people around Geelong for 32 years.

Mr Didolis said the North East Muzzleloaders' re-enactments were a personal favourite.

"They go through the loading process of the rifle using blanks and do three rounds in each show," he said.

"The theatre was a new addition; we thought we'd do something different with the Memorial Hall, having such a beautiful hall to showcase.

"The entertainment was fist-class and we had two ends of the stage for music.

"It was a raging success and congratulations goes to everyone involved."

Numbers were restricted for indoor shows and even Sunday's Easter egg hunt run by the Beechworth Lions Club was by booking only due to COVID-Safe requirements.

Some traders had to close to allow for festival access but Mr Didolis said many had reported a bumper weekend.

"Generally, everyone was all smiles," he said.

"Without Indio Shire's support and our committee members, you could not possibly do such a great festival."

Mr Didolis said finding volunteers was crucial for any event's longevity but particularly with the added requirements of the pandemic.

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"You need the volunteers to make it happen," he said.

"The COVID situation has improved, but you still have a lot of things to put in place to make things work.

"People look forward to being able to participate in something like this safely, and hopefully we all see times for the better, this time next year."