THE 2012 Melbourne Cup carnival crowd is shaping up to be bigger, brighter and better behaved than last year.
Bigger because ticket sales are up.
Better behaved because incidents have been dropping.
Brighter because fashion watchers are tipping neons to dominate the fashion palette - with four out of six fashions on the field finalists incorporating fluorescent yellow into their outfits.
General admission ticket sales for the Melbourne Cup Carnival are up 20 per cent on the 2011 carnival, the Victoria Racing Club says.
Derby Day on Saturday is tipped to be a sell-out, with the fine weather forecast pushing ticket sales up 44 per cent higher than they were at the same time last year.
VRC executive general manager for Flemington Mark Davies said they anticipated the four-day carnival to be a sell-out.
Last year 105,979 people attended the Melbourne Cup itself.
Police are also prepared for large crowds but Mr Davies noted there had been an 84 per cent drop in incidents over the past five years following changes to the way the VRC manages ticket sales.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp said officers would be out in force targeting excessive drinking.
Uniformed and plain clothes police officers will be handing out fines in excess of $700 for drunk and disorderly behaviour.
"We're not wowsers. We're not the fun police," Mr Crisp said, as he urged racegoers to look out for their mates.
"A $704 on the spot fine makes it an expensive day."
Police ejected more than 150 people from Flemington racetrack on Melbourne Cup day last year.
Members of the royal family will be among the tens of thousands of people expected to watch the world-famous race.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will attend cup day where Camilla will present the winner with the Cup.
Actor Nicole Kidman will be at the Swisse marquee on Derby Day on Saturday, while Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall will be there on Oaks Day and singer Delta Goodrem on Melbourne Cup day.
While the focus is often on high-profile guests, the VRC paid special attention to the general admission ticket holders in planning this year's event.
VRC executive general manager for marketing Nick Addison said the club had partnered with corporate sponsors to create attractions to offer general admission ticket holders some of the perks guests in the famous Birdcage enjoy.
The VRC has spent more an $1 million renovating level one of the Hill Stand which is open to the general public.
"We commit to planning the day after Stakes Day, as soon as people roll out the gates," Mr Addison said.
No comments:
Post a Comment