how long has the melbourne cup been going for

The Melbourne Cup has been run since 1861, so it has been going for about 165 years as of 2026.

Quick Scoop

• The first Melbourne Cup was held on 7 November 1861 at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

• That makes the Melbourne Cup a long‑running annual event with a history of more than 160 years, often described as being over “160+ years since its foundation”.

• Today it is still held each year on the first Tuesday in November and is known as “the race that stops a nation”.

Overall, if you’re asking “how long has the Melbourne Cup been going for,” the short, rounded answer people usually give is: just over 160 years (since 1861).

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.