A new Guinness World Record has been delivered to the organisers of the Deni Ute Muster for the event’s 21st birthday.
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A mere portion of the sellout crowd gathered in the makeshift arena at the front of the main stage about 1pm on Saturday for the Singlet Muster — 3972 people wearing the iconic blue singlet in fact.
It broke the previous record by just 13 people.
The World Record for the number of utes in the infamous Ute Paddock still stands at the 9736 set in 2013 — when Alan Jackson headlined the event.
Despite being filled from front gate to back gate, the Ute Paddock housed only 8591 utes this year.
Thousands more piled into the other camping areas that surrounded the festival arena though, with a crowd of about 20,000 people enjoying the Muster this year.
Festival general manager Vicky Lowry was ecstatic with the event, which she said is carefully planned over a full year by the Muster team.
“A sellout crowd joined us to celebrate 21 years — thank you to our new and returning patrons,’’ she said.
‘‘Our community, sponsors, staff and their families, volunteers, contractors, entertainment and emergency services are all a huge part of the success of the Deni Ute Muster and need to be congratulated and thanked.
‘‘We look forward to seeing you again in 2020 to catch up with friends and make more Muster memories.”
The Deni Ute Muster attracted people from all over Australia and even overseas for a big two days of entertainment.
The original celebration of modern rural life, the ute and country music meant the normally quiet Riverina town of Deniliquin turned into a giant party, with people celebrating like it was everyone’s 21st.
They came, they danced, they camped and they partied as the iconic Deni Ute Muster celebrated its coming of age with international superstar Tim McGraw closing the weekend in real country style.
When the American country music superstar was unveiled as the headline act for this year’s Deniliquin Ute Muster in November, fans went wild, excitedly waiting all year to see the legend himself.
And he did not disappoint on Saturday night, belting out some of the best country music Deniliquin has ever heard live.
Musterers started their pilgrimage to the main stage area early on Saturday evening, all in an effort to be in prime spot for the final performance of the site.
The sea of chairs came first, with the ‘mosh pit’ directly in front of the dual main stage filling as the night went on.
By the time McGraw was due to take the stage, fans were packed in like sardines.
Cheers rang out across the Conargo plains when he and his band eventually emerged, McGraw wearing his trademark black hat and jeans with a large belt buckle.
Not one to disappoint his fans, McGraw made sure to monitor their feedback on the Deniliquin Ute Muster’s Facebook page in the lead up to his performance.
Based on that feedback, he and the band added a song to the lineup at the last minute. And when he started to play Red Ragtop the crowd’s reaction was deafening.