AIN’T NOTHING GONNA BREAK OUR STRIDE AT THE CARNIVAL OF CUPS
We were Born to Run, All Fired Up and Footloose through the first three years of the Carnival of Cups. Now, Ain’t Nothing Gonna Break Our Stride as we launch into an epic fourth season of harness racing’s biggest and most dynamic regional racing series.
The official anthem for the 2026-27 series is the infectious hit Break My Stride, with Australian favourites Taxiride set to get the party started when the Carnival rolls into Wagga on November 6.
Each season has brought a new song, a new twist and plenty of memorable singalongs, with the anthem tradition becoming one of the most popular surprise features of the Carnival’s trackside entertainment.
What began as an impromptu musical moment has grown into a signature part of the experience, with some of Australia’s best-known performers putting their own spin on the songs as the Carnival has travelled across regional NSW.
The Whitlams, The Screaming Jets, Birds of Tokyo, The Superjesus, Bachelor Girl, Shannon Noll and country music stars Adam Brand and Travis Collins are just some of the artists who have taken on anthem duties, helping turn race nights into memorable celebrations of music, racing and community.
And the songs have proved they can go the distance long after the Carnival has packed up and moved on.
Sarah McLeod now includes Born to Run in all her solo sets, while Chocolate Starfish released All Fired Up as a single earlier this year and even named their national tour after it.
Not bad for songs that found a new audience through surprise performances at a harness racing event in regional New South Wales.
Now it is Taxiride’s turn to take the baton, with Break My Stride providing the soundtrack to a fourth season that promises more big racing, major entertainment and unforgettable nights across the state. It will be handed to a different artist at each venue as the series moves from Wagga to Bathurst, then onto Newcastle, Penrith and Albury.
It is a simple but powerful ingredient in the Carnival of Cups experience, bringing people together and creating moments that make each event about much more than what happens on the track.
And this season, the message is just as catchy as the song: “Ain’t Nothing Gonna Break Our Stride.” Those six words have become the slogan splashed across event posters on walls and shopfronts across the state.
It reflects the ambition and momentum behind a series that has attracted more than 100,000 patrons across its first three seasons, taking harness racing to new audiences and delivering major entertainment experiences to regional communities.
The 2026-27 Carnival of Cups will visit Wagga on November 6, Bathurst on December 11, Newcastle on January 8, Penrith on January 30 and Albury on February 12.
Five venues, five big nights and a brand-new anthem to bring it all together.
So, get ready to sing it loud, embrace the unexpected and join the Carnival as it hits the road for Season Four.
We were Born to Run. We got All Fired Up. We went Footloose. Now, Ain’t Nothing Gonna Break Our Stride!