When Is the Melbourne Cup 2027? Free Melbourne Cup Countdown

When is the Melbourne Cup 2027?

The first Tuesday of November, at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. The Melbourne Cup, "the race that stops a nation", is a 3,200-metre handicap horse race run by the Victoria Racing Club at Flemington since 1861. The race starts at about 3:00 pm Melbourne time, and offices, schools and pubs across Australia stop to watch.

In 2027, Melbourne Cup falls on a Tuesday. In 2026 it was on a Tuesday, November 3. In 2028 it will be on a Tuesday, November 7.

How the Melbourne Cup date is worked out

The Victoria Racing Club runs the Cup on the first Tuesday of November, so it always falls between November 1 and November 7. From 2026 to 2055 it falls between November 1 and November 7. How we calculate every date.

How many days until the Melbourne Cup in weeks, weekdays and sleeps

The countdown counts calendar days from today to the Melbourne Cup, so on the day before it shows 1. The weeks box splits that into whole weeks and days, the weekdays box counts Monday to Friday (useful for work and school planning, though public holidays are not taken out), and sleeps are the nights left. The timer counts down to midnight at the start of Melbourne Cup in your own time zone.

Melbourne Cup dates for the next 7 years

Year	Date	Day of the week
2026	November 3, 2026	Tuesday
2027	November 2, 2027	Tuesday
2028	November 7, 2028	Tuesday
2029	November 6, 2029	Tuesday
2030	November 5, 2030	Tuesday
2031	November 4, 2031	Tuesday
2032	November 2, 2032	Tuesday

Future dates follow the first-Tuesday-of-November rule; the Victoria Racing Club confirms each year.

Is the Melbourne Cup a public holiday?

Yes, in Victoria. Melbourne Cup Day is a Victorian public holiday (a few regional councils swap it for a local show day). Everywhere else in Australia it is a normal working day, though many offices stop for the race.

Planning tip

Melbourne Cup Day is a public holiday in Victoria only (a few regional councils swap it for a local show day), so the rest of Australia works as usual. Sweeps at work are usually drawn the day before.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Melbourne Cup 2027?

The Melbourne Cup 2027 is on Tuesday, November 2, 2027. The rule: The first Tuesday of November, at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

How many days until the Melbourne Cup?

The countdown at the top of this page shows the exact number of days, hours, minutes and seconds until the Melbourne Cup 2027 (Tuesday, November 2, 2027), worked out live in your own time zone.

How many weeks until the Melbourne Cup?

Divide the days in the countdown by seven: the "Weeks" box above shows the whole weeks and the days left over, so you can plan week by week.

Is the Melbourne Cup a public holiday?

What time does the Melbourne Cup start?

The race usually starts at 3:00 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT), which is 12:00 noon in Perth. It lasts a little over three minutes.

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