The Melbourne Cup Carnival is galloping towards us with first event Derby Day just over a week away already. And as usual, it’s the exclusive Birdcage enclosure that’s the hottest ticket in town. So who’s cooking and which marquees are set to make headlines this year? Get ready to rendezvous This year’s Birdcage Enclosure theme is “Rendezvous”.
VRC Executive General Manager Experience and Events Luke Kinniburgh says it’s a fitting theme for such a sociable and special setting. “The ritual of rendezvous is part of the Melbourne Cup Carnival’s DNA, and The Birdcage Enclosure is a place like no other to do it,” Kinniburgh says. The Birdcage build across 18,000 thousand square metres began in July, with finishing touches completed on the morning of Derby Day.
More than 2000 people work across the precinct, including some of Australia’s top caterers and food suppliers including The Big Group, Food & Desire and Curtis Stone Events. In other words, it’s huge. And that’s just a part of what’s on offer at Flemington.
So giddy up, here are the Birdcage and non-Birdcage food and drinking venues worth racing to for your very own rendezvous. LANDMARK by Lexus It’s second time lucky for Atlas Dining chef Charlie Carrington, as he joins a pack of culinary masters feeding thousands in the extravagant Birdcage enclosure. The innovative chef, who’s visited 55 countries, accepted the challenge to cook trackside in 2021 before the pandemic quashed everyone’s pla.
