Cut price tickets offered for Melbourne Cup 2023
Cut price tickets will be offered to the race that stops a nation in a bid to get punters through the gates as cost of living pressures bite.
Victoria
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Cut price tickets will be offered to this year’s Melbourne Cup with the Victoria Racing Club to wind back the clock on the cost of entry to the race that stops a nation.
Cup Carnival tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, some at prices on par with more than a decade ago.
Early bird pricing will offer a 30 per cent discount on regular prices across the four days of the carnival until July 31, with adult Melbourne Cup entry reduced by $28 during the early bird period.
Adult entry to popular Derby Day will be cut by $25 and Stakes and Oaks entry slashed by $18.
VRC chief executive Steve Rosich said the deal would deliver hip pocket relief to sports fans in the midst of a cost of living crisis, with the early bird period more than tripled.
“This year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival will again deliver the iconic sporting and entertainment
event the nation loves, while offering great value for money to ensure the whole family can
be part of the action,” Mr Rosich said.
“We have brought forward the availability of early bird general admission tickets and they are
available for longer to provide even greater accessibility and value for money.’’
Adult admission to the Cup will cost $67, Victoria Derby Day $60 and Oaks and Champions Stakes Days $42 during the discount period.
Families will be a big winner, with the deal wiping $56 off the cost of a two adult, two children pass to the Cup, $50 discount for Derby Day and savings of $36 for Oaks and Stakes days.
Racegoers buying $67 early bird Cup tickets will gain entry to Flemington cheaper than the $70 patrons paid in 2010.
But, while Stakes Day tickets will be $4 cheaper and Oaks admission the same as last year when full prices take effect on August 1, Cup tickets will then be $6 more and Derby Day $2 more expensive than 2022.
Family passes for two adults and two children will be more expensive across the board, with early bird Cup prices rising from $105 last year to $134 this year, Derby from $96 to $120, Oaks from $64 to $94 and Stakes from $70 to $84.
When full pricing comes into effect, family passes will rise from $146 to $170 for the Derby, $158 to $190 for the Cup, $100 to $120 for the Oaks and $108 to $120 for Stakes.
And new fees apply for 12-17-year-olds who previously needed to purchase concession tickets to gain entry – between $13 and $18 under the early bird deal and $18-$26 full price.
Kids aged under 12 attending with an adult will be admitted free to all four days and early bird tickets for juniors aged 12-17 start at $13.
“We can’t wait for what promises to be a blockbuster week of sport, fashion, entertainment,
food and wine, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the state and supporting local
jobs and businesses across Victoria,’’ Mr Rosich said.
Tickets will go on sale from 3pm Wednesday.
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