Police praise 'well-behaved' crowd of 20,000 at Deni Ute Muster

Police said they could not release figures of any arrests or incidents at the festival at Deniliquin until Tuesday, but operation commander chief inspector Juay Brown said "overall police were pleased with attendee behaviour".

"It was one of the most well-behaved crowds to date," chief inspector Brown said.

The festival, described by organisers as a "rite of passage for Australians from all over the country", attracted about 20,000 people this year.

The annual celebration, first held in 1999 with a "vision to put Deniliquin on the map" and to raise money for drought stricken farmers, was once infamous for its booze-fuelled shenanigans.

At the 2019 event - the spectacle was cancelled for two years due to COVID - there were reports of revellers drinking from motorised beer bongs with one man with an amputated limb taking off his prosthetic leg to skol beer from it.

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This year, singer Brad Paisley was there to entertain the crowds.

The year's event might have had some mayhem, but nothing to draw ire from the boys in blue. "NSW Police worked closely with the Deniliquin Ute Muster committee and other stakeholders to ensure a safe experience for all attendees and staff members," Chief Inspector Brown said.

"Given the large number of attendees, this was the most well-behaved crowd the muster has seen to-date, with only a few minor incidents occurring over the four days.

"I'm pleased to see that the vast majority of people complied with police directions. I want to thank the community who attended for enabling a great weekend."

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