Moama Lights has officially begun.
The exhibit at Horseshoe Lagoon began its run on Friday night with a limited crowd, before opening to the public on Saturday.
Friday's event included a special performance by singer Isaiah Firebrace, with a strong crowd taking in the festivities.
Murray Regional Tourism chief executive Mark Francis was in awe of the show.
“It's just wonderful,” he said.
“It's exactly how we wanted it to be. To show the culture, the lights, the river, it is just an amazing opportunity to bring this event to life.
“The work that has gone into the event in terms of the organisation and designing the display has seen so much hard work, but when you see the final result, it's absolutely worth it.”
Echuca Moama Tourism chief executive Kathryn Mackenzie said the display of local indigenous history was outstanding.
“One of the things that touched me is the display of the Yorta Yorta story,” she said.
“We talk about it so much in our community, but with the lighting and with the audio telling you the history, it's an opportunity to share and to understand the journey.”
Mr Francis agreed.
“We show our recent history with the paddlesteamers and the wharf as important parts of our community,” he said.
“But we have such a rich culture in the area, and to be able to show so many different elements of what has made this area what it is is very special.”
Echuca Moama Tourism chairman John Hall said the fact tickets had sold out so early showed the desire for events of this nature in the community.
“It's a first for the Murray region,” he said.
“The display is so much bigger than we were expecting.
“We've had some good weeks, but that hasn't made up for COVID-19 losses, so to have an event like this at a time when we are still trying to recover, where we can drive people into town is a great thing.”
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