Melbourne Cup Carnival opens at Flemington with Derby Day on 31 October

MELBOURNE, Australia, 27 October 2026 - The 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival opens at Flemington Racecourse on Saturday 31 October with Howden Victoria Derby Day, according to the Victoria Racing Club (VRC). The club lists four carnival race days: Derby Day on 31 October, Lexus Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday 3 November, Crown Oaks Day on Thursday 5 November and TAB Champions Stakes Day on Saturday 7 November.

On Derby Day, gates open at 10am and the first race is at 12.20pm, according to the club's race day page. The feature races are the Group 1 Howden Victoria Derby over 2,500 metres, which the club says was first run in 1855, the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes over 1,200 metres and the Group 1 TAB Empire Rose Stakes over 1,600 metres.

For Cup Day, the club lists gates opening at 9am, a first race at 10.45am and a last race at 5.15pm. The Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup is run over 3,200 metres.

Music is part of the program. The VRC lists Jess Glynne performing after the last race on Derby Day, and Robbie Williams on Cup Day, with a performance in the Mounting Yard before the Cup and a set of more than 75 minutes after the last race. The DJ FISHER is billed to close the week. The club says entry to The Elms Live Stage, where the after-race performances are staged, is included with a general admission ticket.

Tickets are sold through the club at vrc.com.au/tickets, in categories from general admission and reserved seating in the Hill Stand and Lawn Stand to shared and private hospitality. Prices vary by day and the club's pages give different figures for general admission, so they are not quoted here. The club also says Fashions on the Field, part of the carnival since 1962, returns to the Front Lawn.

The VRC recommends travelling by train to Flemington Racecourse station, with Metro services running from Flinders Street and Southern Cross stations on race days, and lists the No. 57 West Maribyrnong tram to Flemington Drive, outside the main gate. Train and tram times for each day are on the club's Getting to Flemington page.