Large crowds pack Riverina Paceway as its first Christmas party goes off with a bang

Wagga Harness Racing CEO Greg Gangle said there were as many as 1500 people at the race meeting despite the city being hit by storms in the early evening.

"I think the night was an overwhelming success," Mr Gangle said.

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"We did get hit for a good 45 minutes with rain and heavy wind," he said, noting this certainly would have impacted the amount of people turning out for the event.

Mr Gangle said every time a new event is held it's hard to gauge how many people are likely to attend, especially at this time of year.

"It's right before Christmas, so a lot of families are travelling," he said.

"But I'm really pleased at the wonderful community support for our club which has only been at the new location for about three-and-a-half years."

The Friday night meeting also featured live entertainment, inflatable obstacle courses, jumping castles and fireworks.

"The fireworks display was sensational," Mr Gangle said.

"But the two highlights [of the night] for me were seeing the kids faces when they saw Santa Claus and when they saw the fireworks."

Reflecting on how the night came about, he said there are two race meetings every week in the Riverina.

"[Earlier this year] I noticed there was a Tuesday meeting this week but none on Friday," he said.

Upon enquiring into the matter, Mr Gangle managed to trade an October meeting to secure one on the Friday before Christmas, and he believes it was a real hit.

So much so, that he hopes to make this a fixture on the Christmas calendar.

"This will definitely be pegged in for next year," Mr Gangle said.

"I'm sure there will be some things we will tweak, but I can't wait to host it again in 2023."

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