A new world record was set yesterday (July 7) in the heartland of outback Australia, as more than 4,000 revellers at the Birdsville Big Red Bash music festival annihilated the world record for the Largest Nutbush City Limits Dance.
Punters peppered the sprawling red desert plains in remote Southwest Queensland, as 4,084 boot-scooting bush dancers kicked up the dust in wild and wacky costumes to the 1973 Tina Turner soul classic.
The new world record destroyed the previous mark of 2,878 dancers, which was set at the 2021 Birdsville Big Red Bash.
From tutus, dinosaurs and hippies to mullets, wigs and bilbies – a sea of colourful characters ignited the outback for an unforgettable bush doof like no other.
The spectacular dance took place below the Simpson Desert’s legendary 40-metre-high Big Red sand dune – the largest of its kind in the world.
A world record with a good cause to boot, participation via registration in the event raised more than $60,000 for the festival’s charity partner, the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Each punter paid a $15 registration fee to dance in the event.
With today’s Nutbush effort, the festival pushed its collective RFDS fundraising total to more than $435,000 since 2016.
Speaking to the crowd, festival owner and Managing Director of the Outback Music Festival Group, Greg Donovan, said; “We all have a fantastic time doing this dance each year, and the money you pay to participate goes directly to the RFDS – every cent of it, so thank you so much. What a spectacular site to see; you are all legends!”
The Big Red Bash conclude with performances from festival headliner Jimmy Barnes, country queen Kasey Chambers and a slew of other beloved Australian music acts including Mark Gable, Richard Clapton, Sarah McLeod, The Lachy Doley Group and Ash Grunwald.
The festival also hosted a Doggie Desert Fashion competition to crown the outback’s most fashionable fur babies.
Running from July 5-7, 2022, the Big Red Bash is conservatively estimated to bring $15 million in economic benefit to regional and outback Queensland. In Birdsville, the renowned Bakery is reporting daily sales of close to 1,500 curried camel pies and 900 coffees as festivalgoers travel through to the event.
The outback town is usually home to a population of around 150 people.
Nominated for ‘Festival of the Year’ at the 2022 Queensland Music Awards, The Big Red Bash is produced by the Outback Music Festival Group, which also stages the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash in outback NSW.
VNR vision of yesterday’s new world record for the Largest Nutbush City Limits Dance is being fed directly into newsrooms via cameraman Pete Murray (covered by the festival) by approximately 1pm this afternoon. Get in touch if you have any trouble accessing. This will include drone aerial footage.
- RFDS Bashville Drags & Fashions in the Desert;
- Australian record-breaking sunrise yoga session atop world’s biggest red sand dune;
- Missy Higgins performance images, as well as Mel Dyer, Steve Balbi and Chocolate Starfish;
- Sunrise shots of festival site;
- Crowd colour and festival activity.
