Ask Millie
Four race days, one public holiday
Cup Day is Tuesday 3 November. The other three race days are not public holidays.
The Melbourne Cup Carnival is run by the Victoria Racing Club at Flemington Racecourse. People say “Cup week” and mean all of it, but each day is a different plan. Derby Day and Stakes Day fall on Saturdays. Oaks Day is a Thursday, which means a day of leave. Cup Day is the only one with a public holiday attached.
The dates below were checked on the VRC site on 8 October 2026. Gate times, the race program and ticket types are set day by day, so read the page for your day on vrc.com.au before you buy anything.
Which day suits you
Getting to Flemington
Take the train. Flemington Racecourse has its own station, and the VRC recommends it: you walk off the platform and in through the train gate. On race days, trains run to it from the city. For Cup Day the VRC lists express trains from Flinders Street direct to Flemington Racecourse, and trains from Southern Cross that stop at North Melbourne and then run express. The racecourse station only has trains on race and event days. On any other day, the nearest station is Newmarket on the Craigieburn line.
Or the 57 tram. Route 57 (West Maribyrnong) leaves from the corner of Elizabeth and Flinders Streets. Get off at Stop 30, Flemington Drive, which the VRC says is right outside the main gate. One thing worth knowing if anyone in your group uses a wheelchair or a pram: the VRC notes that Route 57 does not run low-floor trams. Take the train instead.
Rideshare and taxis. Rideshare drop-off is at the main gate. There is one taxi rank, reached from Stables Drive. Getting a car out at the end of the day is slow, and the train is almost always quicker.
The VRC publishes first and last train times on each race-day page, and they differ by day, so this guide does not print them. Check the Cup Day page, the VRC’s getting-there page and the Transport Victoria journey planner in the week before.
What to book now
Heat, rain, and both on the same day
Early November in Melbourne can be cold and wet or properly hot, and a cool change can turn one into the other by mid-afternoon. You are outside on grass for most of a race day, with long queues and not much shade unless your ticket includes a stand.
If it is hot: sunscreen, a hat that stays on, water, and shoes you can walk in on grass. Get there early and leave before the last race. The trains are hotter and slower after it.
If it is wet: a layer you can carry, shoes that will survive mud, and a plan for where you will stand. If you are not going to the races, swap the outdoor plan for a gallery or a long lunch (see rainy day ideas).
Check the Bureau of Meteorology forecast the day before, not the week before. If you are leaving town for the long weekend, also check the fire danger rating on the CFA site before you head into the bush. For a hot day in the city, the hot day ideas guide has cooler options.
The long weekend, without the races
What to skip
- Do not drive to Flemington and expect an easy exit. The train is quicker in and out.
- Do not buy tickets from a reseller. Buy from the VRC.
- Do not assume Oaks Day is a holiday. Only Cup Day is.
- Do not leave a Cup Day booking until the week before.
- Do not trust last year’s train times. The VRC publishes them for each day.
- Do not plan on a cafe you have not checked. Plenty of CBD places close on the public holiday.
Tell PlanSorted which day, who is coming and where you are starting from.
Going to the races or avoiding them, it will sort the transport, the timing and a backup if the weather turns.
Plan my Melbourne Cup Carnival day, with the train, what to book and a weather backup
