Many people get dressed up even when at work by wearing a hat while watching the Cup being run and most businesses will allow people to stop work to watch it. Some companies even have lunches or snacks so it becomes a fun activity for their staff. In Victoria it is a public holiday but in other states we work, but stop for the race.
For a few years we would go to Melbourne the Saturday before the Cup was run on a day called Derby Day and I enjoyed that even more than the Melbourne Cup itself. Here is a photo of me dressed up for the day. One year I would wear a hat and the next I would wear a fascinator. It was a fun day at the races and I always enjoyed it whatever the weather was like. This year the Cup was won by Americain watched by 120,000 people at the racecourse.
