Celebrations committee member Wendy Simpson said the five-day event was packed with entertainment, including penny-farthing races and hot-air balloon rides, alongside the event's traditional Empire Ball today, and grand parade tomorrow.
Mrs Simpson said she would not know until the day exactly how many people would take part in the parade.
''If anybody wants to take part then they are more than welcome ... just be at the end of the Loan and Merc (building) by 11am on Saturday.''
She said the celebrations had been held in Oamaru for about 25 years and were still popular.
''We always get new people who come along and they are quite amazed with what we do, but then you do get some who have dropped off along the way.
''It's a great celebration, they are always very well supported by people from outside of town and around the world. I know there are people coming from Australia this year, as well as some of the locals.''
She added that a year's work had gone into planning this year's celebrations, and planning for next year would start in earnest in February.
Celebrations began yesterday and end with the Victorian Fete on Sunday.
Fete organiser Faye Ormandy said the fete, in the Victorian Precinct, would start at 10am, and was expected to be bigger than last year, when there were 120 stall-holders.
This year's numbers had already exceeded that total ''and the phone is still ringing'', Mrs Ormandy said.
