The Easter long weekend is like a festival of fun, food, friends and family. The family part comes on the Sunday but the food, friends and fun part happens on Easter Saturday and Monday, at the Oakbank Races.
When someone says the word “Oakbank” I don’t just think of the gorgeous Adelaide hills suburb, I think of the Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival. I think of my friends and family, huddled around a BBQ cooking eggs at 7am. I think of hanging out in the Young Members Marquee at 11am, eating cheese platters and drinking (responsibly) a few bubbles before midday.
The Easter Oakbank Races is so much more than a horse race. It’s Easter in Adelaide! As a kid, I’d go with the family on the Saturday. As a twenty-something it was all about Easter Monday, frolicking in and out of the Young Members area and as a thirty-something, it’s about both days. This year we get the best of both worlds on Saturday AND Monday.
Here are 10 reasons to go to the Easter Oakbank Races this year:
1. You get to dress up AND rug up. By now we’re all sick of this heat and the first chance to wear a coat makes us giddy with excitement.
2. It’s the longest day of your life. You’ve been up getting ready since the crack of dawn so you’re hungry for lunch and it’s only 9am. You get to make the most out of such an awesome, LONG day. And who says you can’t have a siesta on your picnic rug?
3. The kids will love it. There’s rides and plenty to see and do with a free area dedicated to little feet and their parents! It’s like a mini Royal Adelaide Show in the middle of a race course with rides (including a pony ride!) a petting zoo and face painting. And after a fantastic first year, Melba’s Egg and Spoon Race is back at Oakbank Racecourse this Easter Saturday! BRING IT ON! (Make sure they register).
4. Saturday is all about Fashion at the Races. You’ll find this area located on the lawns behind the members grandstand. Here, you get to perve on the hottest fashionistas and hopefully be one of them yourself. The winner of the Oakbank Heat will score two nights accommodation at Oaks Plaza Pier Glenelg & hospitality for two guests at the Fashion at the Races final. There they will represent Oakbank as a state finalist in the Grand Finale where they could win a luxury racing holiday to Asia valued at $25,000!
5. It’s Easter so you’re allowed to eat chocolate. If you bring the family with you – it’s the perfect place for a giant easter egg hunt. Just make sure Easter bunny doesn’t hide any eggs on the track!
6. You don’t have to drive – bus up and back with friends or family.
7. It’s the ultimate picnic! Because it’s a picnic race day, you get to bring an esky, BBQ, picnic rug, drinks and cheese platters and sit around laughing with your friends all day. You can also enjoy The Paddock, Oakbank’s newest precinct! It’s a beautiful grassed area that’s dedicated to country chic. You’ll be able to experience the elements of modern luxury within a country picnic setting. The vintage inspired area is located on the lawns between the grandstands and the horse stall area and will provide a space to indulge in delicious Adelaide Hills wines. ‘The Paddock’ is the place to see and be seen at Oakbank. In other words, it’s where the cool kids will be.
8. It’s a massive day, so your kids will sleep like angels once you get home. Every parent loves a sleeping child. If you don’t have kids – you’ll sleep like an angel after your massive day!
9. There’s loads to do – you can visit The Paddock for gourmet food and wine, there’s a KidsZone for kids aged 3-12, there are numerous bars for the big kids (adults) and loads of amusements. My fave spot, Young Members Marquee, will now be on Easter Saturday instead of Easter Monday. So, now you can party without having to worry about work the next day!
10. You could leave with a $4,000 diamond! The Oakbank Diamonds competition offers a racegoer, over the two days of the carnival, the opportunity to win a diamond ring to the value of $4,000 generously donated by Stirling Jewellers.
So there you go! Happy Oakbank. I mean, Easter!
Hayley xx
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