Spring Carnival

Festival Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Festival Type(s): Equestrian Events, Parties

Spring in Victoria is a wonderful time. The old Kingswood usually starts first kick and your typical sports-mad Vic gets to feast on two of their favourite courses – the AFL footy finals and Victoria's Spring Racing Carnival.

You don’t have to be an equine aficionado to appreciate the Spring Carnival. Whilst horse racing is big business year-round in Australia, it’s during Spring Carnival that the whole nation tends to have a flutter. But the Spring Carnival is as much about what happens off the track as on it.

Oaks Day is women’s day where the gee-gees almost take a back seat to fashion. Hats and dresses and indeed those wearing them come in all shapes, sizes and descriptions ranging from the demure to the outlandish.

Some of the bigger races on the Calendar include the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate and the biggie, the Melbourne Cup – the race that stops a nation.

If you get the chance head down under come October, dress is optional black tie, but fun for all is mandatory.