VRC aims for crowds of 60,000 each day at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week

The VRC has revealed what crowd capacity it is working towards this spring for the four days of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

81,408 patrons watch 2019 Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare go out onto the track. Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) is planning for crowds of up to 60,000 to attend the four days of the 2021 Melbourne Cup Carnival.

COVID crowd restrictions are becoming more relaxed and Australia’s premier thoroughbred racing carnival is set to get back to something like the events of pre-COVID Melbourne Cup carnivals.

Should the VRC be successful in selling out the four days it will guarantee a total attendance of 240,000, which is just 36,186 less than the total attendance recorded during the 2019 Cup Carnival.

“The VRC is planning for many different scenarios to welcome people to Flemington to celebrate everything Cup Week is famous for – premium racing, food, fashion and entertainment with plans to host a crowd of 60,000 plus for each of the four days of the Melbourne Cup Carnival,” VRC chief executive Steve Rosich said.

Since 2010 the average four-day attendance for Cup week has been 323,580 people walking through the Flemington turnstiles.

An all but empty Flemington racecourse as Twilight Payment wins the 2020 Melbourne Cup. Picture: Alex Coppel

During that time only three race meetings have had crowds of less than 60,000 – Oaks day in 2015 when a severe thunderstorm struck mid-meeting, and Oaks Day and Stakes Day in 2019.

The total four-day crowd total in 2019 was 276,186, which was the lowest Melbourne Cup week attendance recorded since 1997.

The peak was in 2006 when 418,069 patrons made their way to the four days of the famous racing extravaganza.

“We are hoping that crowds for our feature spring meetings can be as close as possible to capacity, but that will ultimately depend on the circumstances at the time,” Racing Victoria said in a statement.

“Together with our clubs, we‘ll be continuing to liaise with the Government in the months ahead to determine what is achievable.”

Originally published as VRC aims for crowds of 60,000 each day at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week