"Overall I think it was an excellent weekend," Mr Dalmayer said.

"The support from the sponsors and locals was great and hopefully next year will be just as good.

"The car show worked really well on the Saturday and brought a lot of people out into the street and a lot of comments from locals, who said it was good to see it back on the street."

The previous two years saw the car show held on Alexandra Oval.

"Most of the people at the dances were wrapped at the weekend, and as they were walking out said 'we'll see you again next year'," Mr Dalmayer said.

"One of the traders who does a lot of festivals reckoned the vibe and everything was awesome."

Mr Dalmayer said the town was booked out.

"Some of the traders had to get accommodation in Stawell because there was nothing in town," he said.

"A lot of people were walking out saying they were already booking rooms for next year."

Acacia Caravan Park owner Kaylene Linsley said the park staff had been extremely busy over the weekend.

"There was no room at the inn Friday or Saturday night and a lot of people have stayed on just to wind down," she said.

"A lot of people came up from just Ballarat and Beaufort."

The park is one of the event sponsors, which Ms Linsley said was a way to give back in return for the business the festival brought.

"It was a fantastic weekend for us," she said.

"Hence why we gave back, because you need events like this for Ararat."

Over at the Ararat Motor Inn it was just as packed, said manager Harry Quinn.

"We were full up Friday, full up Saturday and half full on Sunday," he said.

 The festival also featured the inaugural Beat the Heat motorsport vehicle parade. 

Beat the Heat is a motorsport club run by off-duty emergency services workers which aims to engage youth in positive and constructive ways through the automotive field. 

Member Darryl Chamberlain said the parade went off without a hitch.

"It's great to see the support from VicRoads and the local council for an event like this, which I think is probably the first event of its type," he said.

"To see all the kids on the side waving and all the adults as well is great." 

Mr Dalmayer also praised the weather.

"This is the first time I can remember in seven years where we've had three good days," he said.

"The weather was magnificent."

Mr Dalmayer said that next year the committee will "pray to the weather gods" for a repeat of the weekend sunshine. 

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday morning from The Ararat Advertiser. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Ararat shire, sign up here.