TAMWORTH is gearing up for its biggest weekend of the year, with major festival highlights planned for the country music festival finale.
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Up to 50,000 people have arrived in the past week and numbers will peak this weekend. This morning, Peel St will come alive with a flurry of colour and music for the annual cavalcade, while tonight will be glittering with country music stars at the Golden Guitars.
Australia’s finest cowboys and cowgirls will also battle it out tonight at AELEC for the campdraft and rodeo finals, while Kenny Rogers is set to woo fans at an epic concert tomorrow.
The stellar weekend comes off the back of major events last night, when Tamworth crowned this year’s Queen of Country Music and Bicentennial Park was packed out for Lee Kernaghan headlining the Toyota Concert for Rural Australia and the Star Maker grand final.
Major festival venues reported higher ticket sales in the early festival, with strong attendances leading to booms in the food and beverage trade.
Mayor Col Murray said Tamworth had just set a new record of events at this year’s festival, peaking at 2800 acts across the city.
“Without a doubt, it will be a fabulous weekend,” Cr Murray said.
He said it was a “real highlight” to host the mayors from our sister cities of Gore, New Zealand and Nashville.
Meanwhile, the Riverside camping grounds notched up their 1000th site at 6.30pm on Thursday, but were expecting a late rush as part of the traditional Friday afternoon influx yesterday.
Organisers were expecting to top 1200 if that festival trend stayed on track.
Festival founder Max Ellis said moderate weather had made for a pleasant festival, drawing some to outdoor events rather than flocking to airconditioned venues, though threatening rain could also dampen open-air concerts.
He said the first-ever bush ballads event on Wednesday night had been a hit, but said Brisbane St being open to traffic had had a “detrimental effect” on Peel St.
Tamworth Business Chamber president Tim Coates said despite the negativity from some businesses over the opening of Brisbane St, retailers had been successful and he urged locals to keep up the entrepreneurial spirit.
* In late-breaking news, Mickey Pye was last night named the 2015 Toyota Star Maker winner, Katrina Higgins the 2015 Queen of Country Music, Madeleine Patterson the Princess and Jamee-Leigh Hartwig Miss Congeniality.
