Melbourne Cup Carnival draws 307,889, its biggest crowd since 2017, with younger audiences driving growth

Key stats

• Ciaron Maher became the first trainer in the Cup’s 166-year history to train the trifecta.

• The 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival welcomed its largest crowd since 2017, with 307,889 attending Flemington, up 7.4% year-on-year.

• 60% of all general admission tickets for the Melbourne Cup Carnival were purchased by people aged 35 and under, up from 53% in 2025.

• The Lexus Melbourne Cup on Channel 9 attracted a record VOZ rating of 2.2 million, up 6.6% year-on-year, with a total audience of 3.345 million across all platforms up 2.5%. 9Now averaged 578,000 viewers for the race, up 24.6% year-on-year. Total Cup Week viewing across all four days on all platforms was watched by over 6 million Australians.

• Second highest Lexus Melbourne Cup turnover on record with $229 million.

• Melbourne Cup Carnival website users up 76.6%, with 54.23 million views and impressions on VRC social media platforms.

• A record over $792k raised for the Pin and Win campaign.

Quote attributable to VRC CEO, Kylie Rogers 

“The 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival has been an outstanding success, with our largest Carnival attendance since 2017 and our biggest Lexus Melbourne Cup Day crowd in a decade highlighting the strong momentum behind both the Carnival and the broader racing industry. 

What is particularly exciting is the next generation of racegoers embracing the Carnival. Sixty per cent of general admission tickets were purchased by people aged 35 and under, while the Lexus Melbourne Cup reached more Australians than ever before across Channel 9 and 9Now. 
 
The Melbourne Cup Carnival continues to bring together world-class racing, entertainment, fashion and hospitality in a way that few events can. I want to thank Chairman Neil Wilson and the Board for their support, as well as our members, racegoers, partners, owners, trainers, jockeys and the entire VRC team for helping make this year’s Carnival so successful.” 

 Quote attributable to VRC Chairman Neil Wilson 

“We continue to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from our members, partners, and people who attended this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival, or who connected locally and internationally across our broadcast, digital and social platforms.  

Our largest Carnival attendance since 2017, and record off course engagement numbers reflect the enduring appeal that the Carnival has as we continue to blend our unique history and tradition with opportunity to engage new audiences.  

 On behalf of the Board, I thank VRC CEO Kylie Rogers and the entire VRC team for their outstanding work in delivering a world-class event, and our horses, owners, trainers and jockeys whose performances on the track created so many memorable moments throughout the week.” 

Racing & Wagering 

The 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival produced many memorable racing moments, headlined by Point of Law's Lexus Melbourne Cup victory for trainer Ciaron Maher and jockey Ethan Brown. Maher made history as the first trainer to train the Lexus Melbourne Cup trifecta, with Zahrann and Juja Kibo running second and third respectively.  
 
Wagering was once again strong throughout the Carnival, with turnover on the Lexus Melbourne Cup race reaching $229 million, the second-highest figure on record, while TAB Champions Stakes Day turnover saw year-on-year growth, led by the program’s three Group 1 races.  

Across four days, Flemington hosted 37 races, including eight Group 1 contests worth more than $30 million in prizemoney. Highlights included Stormy Marco's victory in the Howden Victoria Derby, Proxima Dea's unbeaten run continuing in the Crown Oaks, and Autumn Glow's success in the VRC Champions Mile. 

Chris Waller and James McDonald were among the Carnival's standout performers, with McDonald claiming a sixth Ron Hutchison Award as leading jockey and Waller securing a sixth J B Cummings Award as leading trainer. 

Crowds 

Attendance grew across all four days of the 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival, with a total crowd of 307,889, up 7.4% on 2025 and the highest Carnival attendance since 2017. 

Howden Victoria Derby Day attracted its largest crowd since 2018 with 88,146 racegoers, while 97,112 patrons attended Lexus Melbourne Cup Day, making it the biggest Cup Day crowd since 2016 and an increase of 12,739 on 2025. Crown Oaks Day drew 52,217 people, its highest attendance since 2019, and TAB Champions Stakes Day welcomed 70,414 racegoers, the event's largest crowd since 2012. 

The Carnival's appeal to younger audiences continued to grow, with 60% of general admission tickets purchased by people aged 35 and under, up from 53% in 2025. 

Broadcast 

The Lexus Melbourne Cup once again stopped the nation, with the race delivering a Nine Network audience of 2.216 million, up 6.6% year-on-year. 

Audience growth extended across all platforms, with a total audience of 3.345 million, up 2.5% on 2025. National Total TV Reach also increased to 2.4 million, up from 2.3 million in 2025. 

Streaming continued its strong growth trajectory, with the 9Now average audience reaching 578,000, an increase of 24.6% year-on-year. 

Entertainment & Fashions on the Field 

The introduction of the new Remix category helped drive a 5.4% increase in Fashions on the Field entries compared to 2025. 

Presented by Lexus, the Grand Finals on Crown Oaks Day showcased exceptional style, creativity and individuality, with daily winners from TAB Turnbull Stakes Day, Howden Victoria Derby Day, Lexus Melbourne Cup Day and Crown Oaks Day competing for the Best Suited and Best Dressed titles. Finalists took to the catwalk before an esteemed judging panel including VRC Ambassador and British television personality Frankie Foster, style editor and author Kate Waterhouse, model and content creator Annalise Dalins, and VRC Style & Social correspondent Elliot Garnaut. 

Entertainment again played a major role in the Carnival experience, with world-class headline acts including Jess Glynne, Robbie Williams, Vanessa Amorosi and DJ Fisher as well as: 

• 150 acts performing across the Carnival, with more than 650 individual artists and crew on course 

• 1,200+ hours of live entertainment on course 

• More than 300 individual entertainment shifts delivered across the four race days 

• More than 30 different stages and performance locations across the course 

Food & Beverage 

Food and beverage offerings were elevated across the Carnival, with premium and short-stay dining introduced and more than 100 food and drink activations on course, including G.H. Mumm Garden Bar, Frenchie, Chin Chin, Don Julio Hacienda, Yakimono, Society, Laurent, Nico’s, Panaderia Serai and Royal Stacks. 

Racegoers were served more than 400,000 canapé and grazing items and more than 80,000 plated meals. Highlights included: 

• 3.7 tonnes of Australian beef 

• 3.1 tonnes of hot chips 

• 510kg of lobster and 680kg of crab meat 

• 801 dozen oysters 

• 70,560 Caspers party pies and party sausage rolls 

 Over the four days, more than 400,000 Asahi beer products, more than 20,000 G.H. Mumm champagne and more than 28,000 cocktails were consumed. 

 Lightning Lane, a world first on a racecourse, launched at the Carnival. The checkout-free retail experience uses AI-powered technology to give racegoers faster access to their favourite beverages, with an average transaction time of just 38 seconds. 

 Community 

Community connection, charitable giving and equine wellbeing were again important features of the Carnival. 

The 2026 Pin & Win campaign raised $792,090, up 13.5% on 2025, for Ronald McDonald House Victoria & Tasmania. The funds will provide more than 4,000 nights of accommodation for families caring for a seriously ill or injured child, taking the total raised through the VRC’s three-year partnership to $2.18 million. Since 1995, Pin & Win has raised more than $10.5 million for charitable organisations.  

 The Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep awarded $50,000 to three community organisations linked to the first three placegetters: Black Cockatoo Foundation (Qld) $25,000, Geelong Foodshare (Vic) $15,000 and Longwood Strikeforce, for bushfire recovery (Vic), $10,000. 

The Carnival also marked the introduction of the Melbourne Cup Foundation, which will use the reach of the Melbourne Cup to support people, horses and communities across three focus areas: Community & Education, Horses & People, and History & Heritage. 

In The Park, the Equine Wellbeing Hub featured horses from Living Legends, Riding for the Disabled Victoria and Racing Victoria’s Off The Track program, alongside an exhibition marking the centenary of Phar Lap’s birth.