In celebration of the country lifestyle and popular utility vehicle, the muster will engage businesses, community members, and visitors from throughout Otago and Southland.
Owners will be able to enter their vehicles in revamped categories: chick's ute, classic ute, dressed ute, street modified ute, four-wheel-drive ute, and best of the rest ute.
A judge will pick a champion and reserve champion ute in each category, after which the five judges will come together to choose a best overall ute from the top 10 vehicles.
Co-organiser Amie Pont said support for this year's event had not been lost in gloomy financial predictions.
"Who ever said we're in a recession? "The support has been bea-ute," she said.
Prizes include tickets to the Hamilton 400, curling vouchers, cash prizes, four-wheel-drive magazine subscriptions, Maniototo four-wheel-drive safaris, Tui merchandise, clothing, accommodation, and local products.
Winners of the supreme award will take away a six-day Maniototo and Otago Central Rail Trail experience for two people, including travel on the Taieri Gorge train from Dunedin, accommodation, meals, activities, and the opportunity to bike or four-wheel-drive the journey.
Local businesses donated parts of the package, as well as other prizes including a Waipiata Country Hotel Supreme Ute trophy.
Names of the supreme ute category winners will be engraved on the trophy, which will be displayed at the hotel where the ute muster concept was born.
Ute muster T-shirts have also been produced for the event this year, which organisers hope will be worn to the Holden Hoe Down evening event, which will follow on from daytime activities.
During the day entertainment includes stalls, Davidson Honda trail rides, mechanical bull rides, live music, rural fear factor competitions, tug-of-war games, a bouncy castle, sausage sizzles, tyre chuck and pie eating competitions, as well as mystery animal racing will be on offer.
A ute-themed personalised plate will also be auctioned Camping facilities on site at the Waipiata Domain will provide musterers with a handy base, although dogs will not be allowed.
