550 fantasy fans gather for week-long LARP festival near Bendigo
DrachenFest, a medieval fantasy LARP festival with 550 players, runs this week east of Bendigo.
DrachenFest brings live action role-playing fans together for a week-long fantasy experience near Bendigo. Players are split into five camps, each led by a dragon avatar who competes for points by raiding other camps and completing quests like organising knights or staging rituals.
One camp leader is Samantha Clarke, a flight attendant who wears an ornate costume and sceptre. The festival originated in Germany 20 years ago and attracts thousands there.
This is only the third Australian event; the first two were held at a scout camp north-east of Melbourne before a bushfire destroyed it last summer. Local bakery owner Nathan Bowes said the influx of hundreds of visitors is fantastic for the small town of Elmore.
- 550
- Player count
- Five, each led by a dragon avatar
- Camps
- Germany, 20 years ago
- Festival origin
- Third Australian DrachenFest
- Australian events
Why it mattersLarge-scale cultural events like this create tourism revenue for small regional towns.
AustraliaHundreds of fantasy enthusiasts visit the Bendigo region, bringing spending and attention to local businesses.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
Open this story in InSnip →
