2021 Melbourne Cup Carnival Attendance Restrictions

11 October, 2021

An official statement has been made by the Victorian Racing Club (VRC) in relation to changes to the event date. It has been decided that the Spring Carnival will proceed, albeit under strict attendance restrictions. A crowd of only 10,000 people will be permitted into Flemington for the Lexus Melbourne Cup, Kennedy Oaks Day and VRC Mackinnon Stakes Day. While Penfolds Victoria Derby Day will proceed, no crowds will be permitted on site for the event.

VRC CEO Steve Rosich said in the official statement:

“We are ready to host a COVID-safe event with crowds across three days of the Melbourne Cup Carnival that utilises our numerous hospitality venues and expansive grounds, marking a major step in the reopening of our city and the state of Victoria,” and that, “We will now work with the Victorian Government to fully understand the event requirements for the VRC and attendees, and we will execute our plans accordingly. We will share further information with our members, partners, owners and the public as soon as possible and by 15 October at the latest.”

If your travel package has been impacted, Sportsnet® will contact you in the coming weeks with the options you have available regarding your booking.

The Sportsnet® team is currently in the process of contacting all the suppliers involved across each of the affected events to understand what this means for your specific travel package, in addition to what border restriction may impact different scenarios. Please bear with the team as we resolve this for you as quickly as possible. We will contact you as soon as all of your options are available.

In the meantime, stay safe and we hope you and your family are healthy and well in what is a challenging time for us all Melbourne