What to Eat, Drink and See at This Year’s Caulfield Cup Carnival

Melbourne starts to come out of its shell when spring rolls around. As the days get longer and the sun starts to get its bite back, our social calendars start filling up with the year’s big events – and the historic 150th running of the Sportsbet Caulfield Cup is one of the biggest, with a special celebration for the major milestone this October.

The Sportsbet Caulfield Guineas and Sportsbet Caufield Cup events are a big draw themselves, but there’s plenty happening beyond the track. This year, there’ll be pumping DJ sets, pop-up bars, carnival-exclusive dishes and drinks, and much more. Here’s everything on our to-do list at the Sportsbet Caulfield Cup Carnival this year.

Mr Miyagi

Chapel Street’s beloved Mr Miyagi is known for its bustling atmosphere and a creative take on Japanese food that prioritises fun over tradition – and you can expect both at its Sportsbet Caulfield Cup Carnival pop-up this year. The menu so far includes dumplings, the MFC sando (a classic katsu sando of Mr Miyagi fried chicken on white bread) and a fried chicken, dumplings and chips combo called Mr M’s Big Bucket. Drinks-wise, you’ll find the carnival-exclusive Sanchez Does Caulfield, a Spicy Japanese Margarita created specifically for a day at the races.

Madeline’s

You don’t need to sit down in a bistro to enjoy steak frites – thanks to Madeline’s, with a special menu offering dishes and drinks exclusively available at the event. Unlike the knife-and-fork style of the traditional dish, this is their O’Connor’s beef, frites and herby Cafe de Paris butter served shaker fries-style, ready to take on the go. Aptly named The Winner’s Cup, it’ll bring a French bistro flavour to the event, done differently. Swing by Madeline’s to toast the race’s anniversary, too, with the French 150 cocktail – a play on the classic, champagne-based French 75.

Ebby Chicken

Crispy, dunkable fried chicken is the name of the game with Ebby, thanks to a combo of hot honey dunkers – panko-crumbed chicken with the diner’s signature seasoning and hot honey mayo dipping sauce – with chips. Plus, a cheeky drink that they’ve created just for the event, Hard Electrolytes – a frozen cocktail with vodka, fresh orange juice and orange electrolytes.

Live music

Beyond the racing, the music headliners are the big reason to head along to the carnival this year. After the last races, big-name international DJs will bring house and EDM hits to both the Caulfield Guineas and Cup day events, transforming the track-side main stage into a full-on festival dance floor pumping beats after the sun sets. British DJ and producer Cassö will close out the Sportsbet Caulfield Cup Carnival – best known for his viral breakout hit Prada with Raye and D-Block. For the Caulfield Guineas, Kosovo-born Albanian multiplatinum DJ and producer Regard will take to the live stage with a set packed with club favourites – including his hit remix of Jay Sean’s Ride It.

The Sportsbet Caulfield Guineas is on Saturday 10 October and the historic 150th running of the Sportsbet Caulfield Cup is on Saturday 17 October. Tickets to the Sportsbet Caulfield Cup Carnival are currently 30 per cent off with first-release available online here.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Melbourne Racing Club.