What's on this weekend in Wagga: Gold Cup fun, gigs galore, Eid festival ramps up

The second instalment of the Riverina Conservatorium of Music's lunchtime concert series kicks off at 1pm with the Australian Army Band Kapooka saxophone and brass quartets. Free entry at Wesley Uniting Church in Johnston Street.

Gold Cup calcuttas are the highlight at the William Farrer, Sportsmen's Club, Riverina, and Union Club hotels - hit the Farrer from 5pm, Sporties and the Blamey at 6pm, join the Riv at 6.30pm and put your money up at the Union from 7pm before Aaron Oldaker takes patrons into the night from 9.30pm.

You can't beat the freshness of the goods up for grabs at the Riverina Producers Market on Thursday afternoons. Head to the Wagga Showground on Bourke Street to browse some of the best the region's producers have to offer, from fresh fruit and vegetables to prepared foods, food products and homewares. We're talking meat, cheese, bread, honey, jams, pickles, sweets and more. The market runs from 1pm to 6.30pm and if you get in quick on Wednesdays, you can order online to collect the following day.

Kildare Catholic College is taking 120 students - and the audience - on a trip down memory lane on Thursday night, with their newest musical Back to the 80s. The opening show at Wagga Civic Theatre begins at 7pm, a second on Friday night and a matinee and Saturday night show also scheduled.

It's Gold Cup day, so strap yourself in for a big one. Big Sports Breakfast broadcasts live from the William Farrer from 5.30am to 9am, with a Men of League breakfast from 8am. Champagne breakfasts and brunches are also on at The Astor, the Union, Tilly's and the Riverina Hotel. The full list of Cup shenanigans is here.

Get yourself to the Murrumbidgee Turf Club for the Wagga Gold Cup, with gates to Wagga's biggest day of the year opening at 11am. If fashion's your game, enter at the tent near the the MTC office and hang around for the first event after the second race. The Cup runs at 4.25pm, with shuttle buses running from the Slocum Street entrance for those looking to head out of the track from 4.30pm. Who's The Boss keeps the afternoon going into the evening, kicking off a 5pm for the trackside party through to 7.30pm.

Feel like a change that won't break the bank or the environment? Hand Me Down - Style Me Up workshops will run at the Wagga Art Gallery from 11am - 12.30pm. Fashionista and self confessed op-shop enthusiast Aunty Cheryl Penrith is here to help people rethink the relationship between fashion and style. Bookings essential at waggaartgallery.com.au/whats-on.

Lace up the joggers and join the Wagga Road Runners for the weekly run around Wagga. This month the group meets the Wagga Music Bowl for the music jig run at the winter start time of 8.30am. Check out the group's Facebook page for more details.

Delicious food, African drums and henna stations are just a few things residents will be able to embrace at the Wagga Eid Festival. It's been about a decade since Wagga had a large-scale Eid festival, but the owners of Habibi Chicken are working on hosting the event annually and it returns to the Wagga Music Bowl from 11am to 3pm. Tickets can be purchased online fhrough Eventbrite for a family for $5, or at the gate on the day for $10.

The history of one of Wagga's most treasured sporting facilities will be celebrated as Wagga Tennis Association sends out an open invitation for people to say goodbye to the current Jim Elphick Tennis Centre. Last drinks will be held between 4pm and 6pm ahead of the late-May demolition to make way for the redevelopment.

Break out the boots and hit Coolamon Road for the Downside Bush Dance. The Tin Shed Rattlers are keen to see plenty of people there for the usual line-up of great dances and music. Entry is $5 for adults and $3 for children, cash only at the door. Check out the Facebook page for more information.

Don't miss the last of Kildare Catholic College's Back to the 80s shows at the Civic Theatre. The matinee starts at 2pm and the final performance gets going at 7pm.

The dancing shoes are on as six Wagga contestants step out to raise vital funds for the Specialist Medical Resources Foundation and Riverina families in need. The all stars edition of Dancing with the Stars opens at 7pm for a 7.30pm show at The Gardens, with tickets $55 per person and seating in tables of eight to 10. Tickets available through trybooking.com/CGULH.

Ride the rails at Willans Hill between 10am and 8.30pm. A lap of the miniature railway at the Wagga Botanic Gardens will set a person back $4, with passes to be purchased at the ticket window at the station.

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