Things to do on Melbourne Cup Day

If you're against horse racing, there are plenty of activities you can participate in to protest the sport. One of this year's major Nup to the Cup events is happening at Welcome to Thornbury from 12-8pm. Organised by the Vegan Vegout in support of the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, it's set to be a peaceful, uplifting and joyful alternative to the Melbourne Cup, celebrating compassion and community. There will be plenty of delicious vegan food, flash tattoo artists, market stalls, animal charities, a huge prize draw and an appearance by special guest Georgie Purcell MP. You can find out more here.

The best part of the Melbourne Cup is, as with most things, the food. But that doesn't mean you have to go to Flemington for a good feed. Pack your own picnic and sprawl out at these lush locations across Melbourne instead.

For those craving a nostalgic cinema experience, these remaining drive-in cinemas around Melbourne are brimming with the feeling of old-timey movie outings. Park yourself in front of the screen, tune into the FM broadcast and enjoy your movie.

Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and Kyabram Fauna Park will all be open on the public holiday. Plan a visit to see some of your favourite wild critters up close.

From the toe-tapping to the cathartic, there's a production to suit your mood this Cup Day public holiday.  In case you hadn't heard the raucous applause echoing out of Her Majesty's Theatre, 'MJ the Musical' has well and truly arrived in Melbourne. And fresh from its world premiere in Sydney, 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' has just opened at Arts Centre Melbourne – it's set to be a brand-new take on the so-bad-he’s-wicked-good anti-hero.

Public holidays are the perfect excuse to treat yo' self to an ice cream. No matter how you roll (or what the weather is), here are the super-duper scoopers serving Melbourne’s best ice cream, gelato and soft serve. 

Never in the history of dining out have we appreciated the privilege of being able to eat wherever we choose (whenever we want) as much as we do now. Use your day off to make a dent in our carefully curated list of the city's best dining establishments.

Melbourne's bar game is strong. From world-beating cocktail lounges to down-and-divey saloons to quench our never-ending thirst, there's just about somewhere for everyone. If you're looking for a bar to visit, we've rounded up the best 50 that represent the pinnacle of Melbourne drinking.

There's something about drinking on a rooftop that is at least 20 per cent more fun than drinking at street level. So jump on those stairs, hit that lift button and check out these high-and-mighty gems. Some of these are in the city, and some in the surrounding suburbs are perfect for city views. 

You’ve had lunch by the river, now try lunch on the river. GoBoat is an electric boat hire service that makes it super easy to have picnics at sea (well, a river). The five-metre-long boats seat up to eight people and you don’t need a boating licence to operate. The best part? They come equipped with a built-in wooden picnic table in the middle of the boat.

You never know what kind of weather Melbourne is going to throw at us, but be brave and hit the beach anyway. These are the best bay beaches to spend some time outside, whether you're keen on swimming, wading, beachcombing or just relaxing on the sand. 

Curious to try Melbourne's inland surf park? Urbnsurf is the place to go. You can learn to surf or hang ten on the mechanically created, absolutely perfect waves. And you won't ever need to worry about sharks. You're bound to work up an appetite, so be sure to grab a post-surf feed at Three Blue Ducks.