About 50 people, along with cars and bicycles, took part in the parade, which started about 11.30am in Thames St and is part of the inaugural week-long festival organised by the Whitestone Community Arts Council.
It started on Friday night with the "Spirit of Spring Extravaganza", a mixture of drumming music and singing co-directed by Ra McCrostie and Lynley Caldwell, at St Kevins College auditorium. The performance continues on Wednesday and Friday this week.
Festival organiser Helen Stead said on Saturday the Spirit of Spring festival would hopefully be on the Oamaru events calendar for years to come.
It was to celebrate cheerfulness, happiness and fertility for the year to come, she said.
Yesterday, dancers per- formed in various churches throughout the Waitaki district and the New Zealand Army Band performed at the Waitaki Boys High School auditorium.
There are lunch-time lectures at the Oamaru Library today, Wednesday and Friday. The festival concludes on Saturday with a promenade starting at 6pm from the Oamaru Gardens and finishing about 9pm in lower Thames St.
