2017 Melbourne Cup Carnival wrap-up

The 2017 Melbourne Cup Carnival came to a close yesterday with Emirates Stakes Day and what a magical week it has been in Melbourne!

With some gorgeous Melbourne sunshine over the four days (Derby Day, Melbourne Cup, Oaks Day and Stakes Day) of the carnival, over 310,000 visitors enjoyed this world-renowned racing event. Throughout the Carnival, almost 500 horses competed in 37 races, with more than $19 million in prize money up for grabs.

If you haven’t attended Melbourne Cup Carnival before, add it to the bucket list! It is a fabulous week of spring racing, fashion and fun and the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) puts on one heck of a party.

We were thrilled to attend Kennedy Oaks Day and Stakes Day and have shared some pics and details below.

The three images above via VRC, Getty Images

Kennedy Oaks Day at Bar Schweppes Marquee in the Birdcage

It was a beautiful sunny day on Oaks Day and we were so excited to see Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott celebrate their VRC Oaks win with filly Pinot. Incredibly for Australia's first lady of the turf, this was Gai's first victory in the feature race on 'Ladies Day'.

Off the track, Priscilla Presley was guest of honour in the Birdcage, along with Jen Hawkins and Rachael Finch at Myer.

To coincide with ‘Ladies Day’, Racing Victoria and the VRC paid tribute to women who have achieved sporting greatness at a special 'Celebrating Women in Sport' event.

We spent a gorgeous Oaks Day afternoon in the Bar Schweppes Marquee in the Birdcage.

The Marquee had a gorgeous art deco feel to it and to tie in with Schweppes sparkling beverages, the walls were decked out with gold, plus silver and black bubbles to bring the brand’s sparkle to life.

I am pictured above with Emily from Pretty Snippets

The Schweppes mixologists whipped up the most divine range of drinks including the signature ‘Flemington Fling’, a delicious blend of Vodka, lime and mint, paired with Schweppes Agrum Blood Orange.

The food menu was designed to intrigue the taste buds and also to match Schweppes beverages and it was all just DELICIOUS!

My favourites were the Blood Orange (blood orange, charred asparagus, fennel and salted ricotta with olive oil snow) and the Quinine (quinine and gin jelly, confit salmon, crushed pea salad, pea flower, gaufrette potato and goats curd).

Silverset Djs entertained the crowd with their fab party tunes and it couldn’t have been a more enjoyable afternoon.

Thank you Schweppes Australia and Eleven PR for your amazing hospitality!

Emirates Stakes Day at the Sensis Digital Lab Marquee in the Birdcage

My husband and I spent a gorgeous Stakes Day afternoon at the incredible Sensis Digital Lab Marquee, front row in the Birdcage. We were thrilled to be at the track to witness the Darren Weir-trained Tosen Stardom take out the $2 million feature race of the day.

Sensis Digital’s smartphone app, Skip, transformed the marquee into a fun party atmosphere complete with amazing performances from Nat Bassingthwaighte + the Rogue Traders and Jakubi.

The impressive marquee was tech-inspired and featured a large selfie LED screen at the front of the marquee.

Mixologists from Impala were on hand to create a gorgeous range of cocktails, G.H. Mumm Champagne was flowing and Commune Group served delicious items from the Neptune Food & Wine menu.

Stunning floral arrangements adorned the bar and tables.

The staff and doormen were decked out in amazing designs by Australian men’s fashion label Jack London.

We spotted Darren Purchese in the marquee and his creations from Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio were served later in the afternoon.

It was an incredible afternoon and we were thrilled to be a part of the #SensisDigitalLab fun! Thank you Sensis Digital and AMPR for a magnificent afternoon!

Emirates Stakes Day Fashions on the Field

Meanwhile, over in The Park more than 320 children and families participated in Emirates Stakes Day Fashions on the Field.

The Palmer family from Echuca in Victoria took out the family category and their prize included Emirates return flights from Melbourne to Dubai! How gorgeous did they all look in their coordinated red and blue outfits?!

Image above via VRC, Getty Images

In the Birdcage, Emirates hosted guests for the final day of the carnival in its in-flight themed marquee. I just adore how they have styled the marquee and food and am delighted to share a couple of pics below.