It’s on! 2021 Birdsville Races tickets to go on sale in May

By Dean Mellor 4 Min Read

2021 Birdsville Races expected to go ahead with tickets to go on sale in May this year.

After cancellation of the 2020 event due to Covid-19, organisers are hopeful that the 2021 Birdsville Races will go ahead as planned and they expect to release tickets for the event in May this year.

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The iconic two-day spectacular is planned to take place on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 September, 2021, with horses thundering down the track on the edge of the Simpson Desert ahead of a plume of striking red dust.

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The town’s population swells when the races are on.

Known as the Melbourne Cup of the Outback, the Birdsville Races have been held since 1882, and have only been cancelled twice: in 2007 due to the equine influenza and in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We’re eight months out from the races so time is on our side,” Birdsville Race Club Vice President, Gary Brook said. “We appreciate that Birdsville is a trip punters need to plan for, so we’re aiming for a May release of tickets. After 2020’s cancellation we had hoped to go on sale much earlier, but things continue to change with Covid so we are proceeding with caution. We want to give ourselves and travellers the best chance for certainty when we release tickets. May is the month that we usually put tickets on sale, and at this stage we’re hopeful we can stay the course.”

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The Birdsville Race Club is working with government agencies and Racing Queensland and continues to develop its plans for a Covid safe event. As a result, for the first time tickets will not be available at the gate (all ticket purchases must be made online), and also for the first time, the number of trackside racegoers will be capped

In other words, make sure you get in early when the tickets go on sale in May or you could miss out!

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“We obviously need to be very careful this year to ensure we can deliver a Covid safe event,” Gary Brook said. “We have space on our side and we’re predominantly an outdoor event. Those two factors alone are a huge advantage in helping us keep race goers safe and able to social distance at the event – however given the interest in attending we do have to put a cap on numbers. We encourage everyone to follow the Birdsville Races Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages and both birdsvilleraces.com and birdsvilleracesroadies.com for ongoing updates and announcements around ticketing and other elements of the event, including how to become a part of the Birdsville Races Roadies.”

The Birdsville Bakery will once again be open for the event and, of course, the Birdsville Hotel will act as the resident watering hole for thirsty racegoers.


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