Last Friday, community groups and business leaders met to discuss plans for celebrating the event and creating a sense of community spirit and excitement.

The program includes the official launch and presentation of the Opal Queen on Saturday July 26 and a family fun day on Sunday afternoon, July 27.

The family fun day will be held at Spider Brown Oval and includes a cake bake and homebrew competition, face painting and games for the kids, barbecue and bar, entertainment and the inaugural miners challenge.

Opal will be buried in the oval's premises and competitors will use divining rods to locate the hidden "treasures".

The Opal and Gem Expo and Opal Jewellery Design Awards and Exhibition will start on Thursday July 31.

The exhibition will boast a spectacular collection of black opal and the designer jewellery from the awards is again set to be fantastic.

All large exhibitor sites have been booked out upstairs with only the table stall bookings available.

The downstairs and tailgater bookings are going very well and anyone wishing to book a site is encouraged to call 6829 4488 as soon as possible.

This year a television advertising campaign will be aired on Seven Central.

The advertisement is targeted at the drive market encouraging residents within a two to three hour radius to take a day trip to Lightning Ridge for the exhibition and expo.

Most of the town's accommodation has been booked out, therefore the television ad is seen as critical for increasing numbers to assist stallholders in maximising their business during the four days.

Event co-ordinator Angela Myers said, "this year, the Opal Jewellery Design Awards Association is trying to cultivate a sense of excitement about the festival and want people to really enjoy themselves.

"We have added new activities such as the homebrew and cake bake competition to try and get a broader range of people involved.

"The Sunday afternoon fun day is seen as a good way of attracting families by having activities for the children and entertainment for parents and friends."

This year the Opal Jewellery Design Awards Association is managing the activities. For further information about the events and Opal Queen competition, contact 6829 4488.