Melbourne Cup Public Holiday 2026
- Tue 3 Nov 2026
- Public holiday across Victoria
- Local days in parts of 10 council areas
- Source: Business Victoria
Melbourne Cup Day, Tuesday 3 November 2026, is a public holiday across all of Victoria, including metropolitan Melbourne, unless a non-metropolitan council has arranged an alternate local holiday. For 2026 Business Victoria lists alternate local holidays in all or part of 10 council areas, including the City of Greater Geelong (Wednesday 21 October), Warrnambool and Moyne (Thursday 7 May) and Wodonga (Friday 27 November).
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Where Melbourne Cup Day isn't the public holiday in 2026
These councils have arranged an alternate local holiday under Victoria's public holiday rules. Dates and wording are from Business Victoria's 2026 list (last updated 3 Aug 2026), in date order.
| 2026 date | Council | Area (Business Victoria wording) |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 7 May | Warrnambool City Council | Full day public holiday within the municipality of Warrnambool City Council |
| Thu 7 May | Moyne Shire Council | Full day holiday for the municipal district of Moyne Shire Council |
| Wed 7 Oct | Mildura Rural City Council | Full day holiday for the area westerly from and including the township of Boinka and south of Murray Sunset National Park |
| Thu 8 Oct | Yarriambiack Shire Council | Half day holiday for the township of Warracknabeal and district |
| Tue 13 Oct | Hindmarsh Shire Council | Full day holiday for the localities of Rainbow, Albacutya and Kenmare |
| Thu 15 Oct | Hindmarsh Shire Council | Full day holiday for Broughton, Yanac, Netherby, Lorquon, Nhill, Glenlee, Kiata, Gerang Gerung and Little Desert |
| Wed 21 Oct | Greater Geelong City Council | Full day holiday throughout the City of Greater Geelong municipality |
| Wed 21 Oct | Moira Shire Council | Full day holiday for the Numurkah District |
| Wed 28 Oct | Greater Bendigo City Council | Full day holiday for all areas west of the Campaspe River |
| Wed 4 Nov | Macedon Ranges Shire Council | Full day holiday in postcodes 3444, 3446, 3458 and the localities of Cadello and Carlsruhe |
| Fri 27 Nov | Wodonga City Council | Full day public holiday for Wodonga Gold Cup |
Melbourne Cup public holiday FAQ
Is Melbourne Cup Day a public holiday in 2026?
Yes. Tuesday 3 November 2026 is a public holiday across all of Victoria, unless a non-metropolitan council has arranged an alternate local holiday (Business Victoria).
Is Melbourne Cup Day a public holiday in metropolitan Melbourne?
Yes. Alternate local holidays can only be arranged by non-metropolitan councils, so all of metropolitan Melbourne has Tuesday 3 November off.
Is Melbourne Cup Day a public holiday in Geelong?
Greater Geelong has its local holiday on Geelong Cup day, Wednesday 21 October 2026, a full-day holiday throughout the municipality (Business Victoria), instead of Melbourne Cup Day.
Is Melbourne Cup Day a public holiday in Bendigo?
Areas of Greater Bendigo west of the Campaspe River have their holiday on Wednesday 28 October 2026 instead. The rest of Greater Bendigo keeps Tuesday 3 November (Business Victoria).
What race number is the Melbourne Cup?
Race 8 at Flemington on Tuesday 3 November 2026 (Racing Australia race card). The start time hasn't been published. The VRC lists the first race at 10.45am and the last at 5.15pm AEDT.
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