Southside Racing officially launched its 2025 Southside Carnival on Friday, unveiling a celebration of racing, entertainment, and community that will run from October through January.
The carnival kicks off with the Highview Accounting and Financial Pinker Pinker Night on Friday, 10 October, now featuring the Apache Cat Classic, which has found a new home on one of Southside’s most popular nights.
Pinker Pinker is the first of 22 race dates from October to January.
The action then rolls into the Ladbrokes Cranbourne Cup (22 November) and Ladbrokes Pakenham Cup (13 December), followed by four huge Christmas night meetings, alongside 11 race dates hosted for the Moonee Valley Racing Club, before culminating with three high-energy Saturday Night Fever race nights in January.
The launch event also marked the debut of Southside Lager, created in collaboration with St Andrews Beach Brewery on the Mornington Peninsula.
Once home to Group One-winning racehorses that included Doriemus, Damien Oliver’s 1995 Melbourne Cup champion, the original stables have been transformed into a vibrant brewery and taproom.
Racing legend Damien Oliver was on hand to toast the new brew, a fitting moment as he marks 30 years since his Melbourne Cup triumph.
Southside Lager will be available from 1 October across Southside Cranbourne and Southside Pakenham racecourses, and in all Southside Racing venues.
Southside Racing confirmed the Leila Rose Foundation as its Pin for a Purpose charity partner for 2025.
Pins will be available from 10 October, with all proceeds supporting the Leila Rose Foundation’s vital work.
Southside Racing Chairman Sean Clarkson said the launch signalled the club’s most ambitious carnival yet.
“The Southside Spring and Summer Carnival has become a celebration of everything we stand for, great racing, community spirit, and unforgettable experiences,” Clarkson said.
“With Ladbrokes now partnered across both our racecourses, and exciting new initiatives like Southside Lager and our Pin for a Purpose partnership, we’re proud to be building something that truly belongs to the Southside.”
