THE Wangaratta Turf Club is gearing up for one of their premier events of the year.

After a four year hiatus, their Melbourne Cup race day will be full of action in 2024 with quality racing and plenty of entertainment on show.

A strong line-up of local musicians will perform with DJ Jimi Neutron playing throughout the day on the raised lawn area, Marc Paolo singing a great range of everyone’s favourite tunes, Mr Riff Music providing music in the Grand Oaks Room and DJ M-Key playing a two hour set at the winning post to conclude the day.

Face painting will also be on offer for the kids.

Wangaratta Turf Club chief executive officer Sean Barrett said the club can’t wait to have a crowd on course for the race that stops the nation.

“The club is thrilled to welcome our Melbourne Cup Day races back for the first time since 2019,” Barrett said.

“It’s such a huge event for the community and we can’t wait to see people enjoying the races and entertainment we’ll have on offer.

“It’s the biggest lineup of entertainment we’ve had for a race day in probably five or six years so it’s great that we’re able to support local artists by giving them the chance to play in front of a strong crowd.

“We can’t wait for them to add to a great atmosphere for one of our showcase events.”

Ticket sales for the return of the Ovens Ford Melbourne Cup Day Races are selling fast, with the Party on the Hill and Grand Oaks packages proving popular with the punters.

Local brew bar, Old Faithfull’s will feature prominently with a premium marquee location and a deluxe offering for guests, including an exclusive Aperol spritz station with tickets for this package available directly from Old Faithfull’s Brew Bar.

“Our Grand Oaks and Party on the Hill packages have been really popular,” Barrett said.

“It’ll also be great to have Old Faithfull’s with us with their marquee providing plenty of refreshments for patrons.”

Fashions on the Field is always a highlight of the day, offering a range of categories and prizes for contestants.

For more information on the day, visit https://country.racing.com/wangaratta/calendar/melbourne-cup-day.