Melbourne Cup Party for charity will be evening of fun and celebration

Event organiser Brett Marvelly at Steiners on Pukuatua St, one of the places tickets can be bought. Photo / Andrew Warner

Getting all dressed up, the thrill of the races, supporting a local horse and raising money for a worthy charity will all be part of the fun at a Melbourne Cup Party.

The Melbourne Cup is coming, and Rotorua is throwing a party for charity to celebrate and watch the big race.

It will be an exciting affair for locals, with locally trained horse Ocean Billy featuring in the cup. He booked his ticket across the Tasman when he won the Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m) in March.

Presented by Rotary Rotorua West and Rotorua Golf Club, The Melbourne Cup Party is on Tuesday, November 2 at Arikikapakapa, the home of Rotorua Golf, at the Whaka end of Fenton St.

All proceeds from this charitable event will go to Waiariki Women's Refuge. The funds raised will stay in Rotorua and go towards a specified project.

The party is on from 4pm to 6pm, including a fashion parade and competition at 4pm - the theme is Hats, live music, sweepstakes, competitions, and the big race on two big screens at 5pm.

Event organiser Brett Marvelly says it was decided to support the Waiariki Women's Refuge through the event because "it's such a great charity - simple as that".

"We realise there are people out there that need the support of the refuge and wanted to do our best for them. We would like the community to get right behind this."

He says the venue has big open spaces which will help with social distancing, and the event will be a lot of fun.

Brett says the Melbourne Cup Party will be a great opportunity to get dressed up and support local horse Ocean Billy.

"It's an ideal opportunity for companies to knock off a little early, come up and have some fun."

Tickets to this event are $40 per person, which includes a glass of bubbles (or beer, wine or non-alc) on arrival, with continuous light refreshments from 4pm to 6pm.

They are available from Steiners on Pukuatua St or at Rotorua Golf Club. For more details or large business/group bookings, call (027) 481 5447.

If you are keen on an early start, enter a team of four in the Ambrose Golf Tournament that tees off at 1pm. It's $20 per player.

Attendees are encouraged to adhere to social distancing rules and are encouraged to wear face masks unless eating or drinking.