Melbourne Cup 2024

The Melbourne Cup is called the "jumps that stop the nation." It has become a kind of national institution that generates disputes and provokes more interest than any other horse race in the country. The first Melbourne Cup was held in November 1861. Then, 17 horses participated in the races. The prize fund was 170 pounds sterling and a gold watch. Today, the Melbourne Cup is the most prestigious two-mile handicap in the world and the most "expensive" cup in Australia, with a prize fund of $8.56 million. The races are held under the patronage of the Victoria Racing Club in Flemington, a suburb of Melbourne. Flemington Racecourse is the main venue of the Melbourne Cup.

Melbourne Cup Day (November 5, 2024)

The Melbourne Cup day falls on Australia's most famous Tuesday. No matter what the Australians are doing, at 3 pm on the first Tuesday of November, people stop everything to hear the signal of the start of the race, watch races on TV, and make a bet. Spectators at the racetrack begin to gather at 8 am, although the jumps themselves start far in the afternoon. By 3 o'clock in the afternoon the racecourse is filled with up to 100,000 people to watch one of the most grandiose shows in the country. In 2005, Makybe Diva made history, becoming the only horse to win the Melbourne Cup three years in a row.

Melbourne Cup Fashion

Melbourne Cup is famous for picnic parties, brunches, and various celebrations for socialites and Australian celebrities. The day of the race is when you can see people dressed up in their best outfits attending the events at the racetrack in Flemington. Ladies try their best to impress the crowd with their outfits and, most importantly, hats—fashionable, strange, and funny. The unofficial dress code of the races is “feminine and floral.”

However, not everyone finds this event as exciting. some blast for gathering gamblers and drunk people. Melbourne Cup Day is an annual public holiday in the state of Victoria. It was called a Picnic Day in the past, and picnics are still part of the Melbourne Cup tradition.

Maelbourne Cup Carnival

The Melbourne Cup finishes the six-week Spring Racing Carnival in the capital of Victoria. All these six weeks is a continuous holiday of laughter, fashion, and the best trotters in the world. It's a great way to shake off the remnants of winter! Carnival begins in early October and lasts almost two months. Melbourne Cup is not the only horse race of these festive days, but definitely the most famous.

Tickets

General Admission to the race is $99 per person. Lawn stand reserved seats start at $300. Also plenty of upscale hospitality & dining packages are available for the general public. The Birdcage reserved site in The Rails Promenade with all-day food and bevearges costs $550 per person.