THE 2023 Coonamble Greyhound Gold Cup Carnival is set to become one of the biggest events the town has seen after it was confirmed that renowned Australian performer Shannon Noll will perform a concert at the racetrack.

Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) announced on Friday 28 April that the singer-songwriter who burst to prominence when runner-up in the inaugural season of Australian Idol, would perform at the annual carnival on Friday 29 September at the completion of the night race meeting.

“At GRNSW we understand the importance of our sport to the local community, what it can do to benefit a town’s economy, and as such we always ensure that we support local clubs when they stage their major events,” Chief Executive Officer Rob Macaulay said.

“The Coonamble greyhound racing carnival is an iconic event and on the bucket list of most participants and greyhound fans, not only in NSW, but right around the country.

“I was fortunate enough to witness and experience the carnival last year and it rates as one of the best experiences I have had, and I also got to understand just how important the carnival is to our industry and the town of Coonamble.

“After last year’s experience I knew we needed to do all we could to make this weekend even more special for everyone in Coonamble, and I think by having Shannon perform on the Friday night will achieve that.”

The town was abuzz after the news broke on Friday morning, and Coonamble Mayor Tim Horan said the addition of Shannon Noll will make an already major event, “huge.”

“It really is going to add to the event this year and there’s been a lot of talk about it already,” he said. 

“The greyhound carnival is always a successful event economically for our town and the cash injection over the week - a few days before and a few days after – as people eat, they drink, they stay in accommodation and support the clubs, is a great thing and this will obviously add a bit extra to that.

“Hopefully it will attract a few different people and maybe even people who aren’t interested in the dogs might come along for the entertainment and then the dogs might be something they get into as a result of that.

“This is a great opportunity for Coonamble to get people of Shannon’s stature here. Usually people in the bush have got to travel to these types of acts, and for the event to come to us, it’s great for the area.

“We have had some big events here this year but with the events for that weekend and the addition of Shannon, will definitely make it a huge event that’s for sure.”

Coonamble Greyhound Club President Graham Pickering described the announcement as “pretty big for a country area.”

“The club has never had anything like a Shannon Noll coming before,” he said. “We have had a few bands play on a Sunday night during the carnival, but nothing quite as big as what Shannon Noll is.

“People will flock to the place and not just be people from Coonamble, I think you will see people from all the surrounding towns as well, Quambone and Gulargambone … all those little places nearby.

“This is going to be pretty big for the country area. There are two big events each year in Coonamble, the Greyhound Gold Cup and the June Long Weekend Rodeo and I think this year the greyhound's might be bigger than the rodeo."