The Play of the Plains Festival Inc board said they could not proceed with the event ‘‘due to the evolving COVID-19 outbreak and related restrictions and border closures’’.
But with the way the COVID-19 situation is panning out, it came as no surprise to the fans.
Many took to social media to express their disappointment, but also said they felt the decision was justified.
Rules currently in place do allow for some events to go ahead using a one person per 4m2 rule, but that would have significantly reduced the muster’s capacity to attract its normal crowd of 18,000 or more patrons over two days.
In a statement released yesterday, the board said they waited as long as they could to make a decision in the hope the situation would improve and restrictions were eased.
‘‘This is not the message that we planned to be sending out just seven weeks prior to our 23rd year, and for a second consecutive year,’’ the statement said.
‘‘It is with great regret that we announce the cancellation of the 2021 Deni Ute Muster.
‘‘We have left making this decision for as long as possible, but the risks are continuing to escalate making it impossible to keep everyone safe.
‘‘There is nothing we would like to do more than to party on the plains with you all. For this to happen in the future, we encourage everyone to get vaccinated so that lockdowns and travel restrictions become a thing of the past.
‘‘Our hard working team is as devastated as you must be.
‘‘All of their hard work is once again undone and taken from them.
‘‘We are a team proud to be Australian, resilient and innovative and we will continue to organise a one-of-a-kind festival which captures the heart of all Australians.’’
Last year’s Deni Ute Muster was called off in July, and by September the committee had come up with a way to hold a virtual event featuring a Show N Shine, Blue Singlet Count and Ute Count and pre-recorded musical performances by some muster favourites.
There is no word yet on whether similar online events will be hosted in place of a physical event this year.
Like last year, 2021 ticket holders are being advised that their tickets will automatically roll over to next year.
‘‘All current ticket holders for 2021 can choose to transfer tickets to our next Deni Ute Muster, to be held Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1, 2022 — no need to do anything as this will happen automatically,’’ the board said.
‘‘If you are unable to attend the event in 2022, you may request a refund from Oztix by visiting https://forms.oztix.com.au/RefundRequest/. Refund requests are available until 5pm on October 31.
‘‘By retaining your tickets for the 2022 event, you are showing support for our iconic event, our community and region, Aussie artists and music industry, entertainers, crew, vendors, volunteers and contractors.’’
Planning for the 2022 event will start almost immediately, with the board promising to ‘‘be back to you soon with our 2022 artist line up, entertainment schedule and the date tickets will be back on sale’’.
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