The best bluffs to get inside the Birdcage marquees

DON’T even think about using these lines to bluff your way into the Birdcage. The gatekeepers have heard some outrageous lies.

THE Birdcage is the most exclusive area at the Melbourne Cup.

It’s filled with the rich and famous who are wined and dined inside a number of marquees.

But at the doors of those marquees stands a gatekeeper, a powerful person with an iPad that contains the names of every person who has been invited inside.

Over the past few days they’ve heard some outrageous lies from people who aren’t on their lists but are desperate to get inside.

Food worth fibbing for. Dishes by chef Adam D'Sylva in the Lavazza marquee. Picture: Julian Smith/AAP

News.com.au spoke to these gatekeepers at the Melbourne Cup and asked them about the best and most creative lines people have used to try and bluff their way inside:

• “Men are the best at trying to bluff their way in. Women are a little bit more coy.”

• “One of my favourites was this guy who came up to me looking all weepy and he said, ‘I’ve just broken up with my girlfriend and she’s inside the marquee and if you don’t let me in we’ll never get back together and you’ll ruin my life’.”

• ”I’ve heard, ‘I’m working in the kitchen.’ But they were fully dressed up, so they said, ‘I’m on my break so I just got changed quickly’.”

What’s all the fuss about? Inside the Maison Mumm tent. Picture: Julian Smith/AAP

• “Somebody actually said to me that their sunglasses were broken and they were hoping they could come in and borrow a screwdriver.”

• “Somebody once said to me, ‘But I’m Molly Meldrum’s cousin’.”

• “I had an old intern come up to me and say, ‘Oh my god, we worked together, you were my favourite. Can I please come in so we can catch up?’”

• “People always try and tell you that they’re with a celebrity that’s inside. They say, ‘Do you want to see a text?’ And then they put their thumb over the name that the text has been sent from.”

On the inside. Jodi Anasta in the Myer marquee. Picture: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

• “I’ve had men come up to me, get on their knees and present me flowers. It’s almost impossible to say no because they’re being so cheeky and adorable about it.”

• “Someone tried, ‘I need to come in and check your ice levels’.”

• “A lot of people say ‘I’m on The Block,’ but I watch The Block and they’re not on it.”