Action from the last Carnival of Cups in Penrith. Photo by Brett Atkins
One of the most successful bands in Australian music history – Eskimo Joe - will headline an all-star line-up when Harness Racing New South Wales brings the TAB Carnival of Cups series back to Penrith Paceway on 20 March.
Eskimo Joe will be joined by Australian music luminaries Baby Animals and Chocolate Starfish on the trackside stage – in what is once again a FREE all-ages community event.
Boasting 8 ARIA awards – including for Best Group and Single of the Year – and a staggering 35 career ARIA award nominations, a feat eclipsed for Australian bands only by music icons Powderfinger, Silverchair, Crowded House, Hilltop Hoods and Midnight Oil – Eskimo Joe will bring their decades-long catalogue of hits to the Carnival of Cups stage for the first time.
The announcement comes as the band prepares to hit the road in 2026 to mark the 20th anniversary of their seminal album Black Fingernails, Red Wine.
Penrith will also see the incredible Baby Animals and Chocolate Starfish return to the Carnival of Cups stage. Both bands left their mark on fans with memorable trackside performances in Young late last year, while Baby Animals also helped close out Season 1 with a high-energy set in Goulburn.
Solo-artists Brooke Supple and Cara Kavanagh – both esteemed and hugely-popular performers across the country – will lend support to the high-calibre rollcall of music acts.
As has become synonymous with the Carnival of Cups brand, the entertainment will continue throughout evening, breaking only for the eight-race card, highlighted by the running of the time-honoured Renshaw Cup and the TAB Regional Championships Metropolitan Final – being run at the Penrith Paceway for the first time.
Various food and drinks stalls as well as children’s rides and activities will also be on site.
Tickets are FREE and available now. Patrons are required to register for a FREE ticket. To secure your attendance, register for your ticket now at www.carnivalofcups.com.au
Racegoers can also upscale their event experience by purchasing a ticket in the exclusive trackside hospitality marquee – known as The Carnival Crib. Tickets include food, drinks and premium seating and viewing of the music stage and the race winning post.
