Amazing line-up to bring trackside anthems to Newcastle Carnival of Cups

17 September 2025

Multi ARIA-award winner Alex Lloyd and reigning Golden Guitar female artist of the year Max Jackson will be part of a massive trackside entertainment line-up when the Harness Racing New South Wales TAB Carnival of Cups series heads to Newcastle on December 5.

The Newcastle Harness Racing Club will host the second leg of the upcoming series, which will feature the inaugural running of the $60,000 The Steel City Cup and the $75,000 TAB Regional Championships Hunter Final.

Tickets for the Carnival of Cups are FREE, but patrons do need to go online and register to secure their spot.

Today marks the first of two major announcements for the Newcastle leg of the series, with Harness Racing New South Wales keeping the identity of the headline act who will perform after the last race a secret – for now!

Local favourites Ignita and Just Us Duo have also been enlisted as part of the blockbuster cast of performers who will lay the soundtrack for the event.

“The Carnival of Cups has built such a strong reputation in a short amount of time and we’re really fortunate that some of the biggest names and bands in Australia are reaching out to us asking for the chance to perform on our trackside stage,” HRNSW Chief Executive Peter Buckman said.

“So for now, we’re building a bit of suspense and mystery about the identity of our headline act for Newcastle but I can assure race-goers you won’t be disappointed. We’ll make that announcement in the lead-up to the event and I have no doubt tickets will be in high-demand because of it.”

Newcastle marks a return to the Carnival of Cups stage for Alex Lloyd, after being part of the Goulburn line-up in Season 1. He has been a hugely popular part of the entertainment offering with his iconic anthem Amazing at the past two TAB Eureka events.

Local success Max Jackson is one of the leading lights on the Australian country music scene, having been crowned the best female artist and winning single of the year at the annual Golden Guitar awards earlier this year.

“This line-up offers something for everyone and with the way we do it at the Carnival of Cups the entertainment is non-stop, on and off the track,” Mr Buckman said.

The Carnival of Cups at the Newcastle Harness Racing Club is an all-ages family-friendly event, with kids entertainment and activities, full concerts on the trackside stage and the running of two major features on a stellar eight-race program.

Tickets are free but you do need to register online to secure your spot. To get your tickets now CLICK HERE