November · Victoria · Melbourne
Melbourne Cup
The race that stops a nation, run at Flemington Racecourse on the first Tuesday of November.
The Melbourne Cup is the most famous horse race in Australia and the centrepiece of the Spring Racing Carnival. It has been run at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November since 1861.
The Melbourne Cup is a 3,200 metre thoroughbred horse race run each year on the first Tuesday of November at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. It is the most famous horse race in Australia and one of the most prestigious staying races in the world. It has been run continuously since 1861 and is referred to as 'the race that stops a nation' because of the way the entire country pauses to watch it.
Melbourne Cup Day is a public holiday in Victoria (though not in the rest of Australia), and offices across the country stop for the 3pm race. Cup Day is the centrepiece of the Spring Racing Carnival, a four-day series of races at Flemington that also includes Derby Day, Oaks Day and Stakes Day. The whole carnival runs over ten days in early November.
Visitor experience at Flemington includes the famous Fashions on the Field competition, elaborate marquee hospitality in the Birdcage enclosure, and general admission tickets that let you walk the course grounds. Public transport from the Melbourne CBD is the standard way to get there as parking is effectively impossible.
While you are there
