The actual Blessing of the Fleet ceremony, Fishermen's Procession and Welcome to Country were all key parts of this year's event which did not have a parade.

Given the crowd of people who watched those events and in general attended the festival on yesterday [Sunday, March 31], you would have to say that this year's event was very much accepted by the local community members and visitors alike.

People packed the Ulladulla Wharf area to watch Father Michael bless the fishing boats.

They also appreciated the Welcome to Country, singing and dancing from Uncle Phil Butler and his helpers, which included members of his family.

As the day progressed people enjoyed all the fun that was on offer which included music, food and Easter-related fun like the hat parade.

Event coordinator Maria Lavalle, at the opening ceremony, took the opportunity to thank all those who supported her.

She made particular mention of her dedicated and hard-working committee members who had been working almost non-stop for the past few weeks.

Maria added it was important that the "rich in culture" Blessing of the Fleet continues to be an important community event.

Maria and her committee will also be heartened by all the words of support they received on Facebook.

Comments like "the whole festival was a credit to Maria and her helpers", "congratulations, great effort to all who put their hands up to organise today", "congratulations on a fantastic day - well done to the committee and team" and "awesome effort for a successful day guys, thanks for all the hard work " shows that 2024 festival was indeed a success.