Mission Beach Tavern is open every day from 10am to 10pm excluding Good Friday and Christmas Day
Mission Beach Tavern is open every day from 10am to 10pm excluding Good Friday and Christmas Day
Mission Beach Tavern presents
With thanks to
DateTuesday 3 November 2026
Party runs12pm – 3pm
The Cup jumps2pm QLD time
DressBlack & white
Ticket$79 per person
The race that stops the nation — on the Cassowary Coast
Mission Beach Tavern turns black and white for the first Tuesday in November — and we’re bringing Melbourne Cup Day to Mission Beach in style.
Walk through the doors and straight into it — an espresso martini in your hand, three hours of drinks, two hours of cocktail-style finger food and live acoustic from Fraser Scott. The Cup is live on every screen in the house, frocks out, hats on and the Tavern buzzing from the first race to the last. Gather your crew, dress to impress and make a day of it. Tickets are limited.
We are at 52 Porter Promenade, Mission Beach — an easy run from Tully, El Arish, South Mission Beach, Wongaling Beach and Cardwell, and a natural stop for anyone driving the Bruce Highway between Townsville and Cairns.
Your $79 ticket
Handed to you at the door. The day starts properly.
Basic spirits, house sparkling, house wine and all tap beers. Soft drinks, juice and water are included and free all afternoon.
Excludes Ginger Beer and Hard Rated.
A generous selection of seafood, premium meats, antipasto, bakery items and canapés, with platters of gourmet cheeses and fresh seasonal fruit.
Acoustic sets across the afternoon, between the races.
Full race coverage across the bar and the beer garden projector.
Best Ladies Hat, Best Dressed Couple and Best Dressed Lady.
Two hours of it
A generous selection of seafood, premium meats, antipasto, bakery items and canapés.
Complemented by assorted platters of gourmet cheeses and fresh seasonal fruit, served cocktail-style through the middle of the afternoon so you can eat standing up, drink in hand, without missing a race.
Three hours of it
An espresso martini the moment you walk in, then three hours on the house package.
Basic spirits, house sparkling, house wine and every beer on tap. Soft drinks, juice and water are included and free all afternoon, so the designated driver is looked after too.
Beverage package excludes Ginger Beer and Hard Rated. Runs 12pm to 3pm. The bar keeps trading afterwards at normal prices.
The theme
Monochrome, head to toe. Hats encouraged, heels optional — it is still Mission Beach. Three prizes go out on the day.
How the day runs
Limited tickets. Ticket covers one person for the 12pm–3pm session. 18+ event — photo ID may be requested. Full refund if you cancel on or before 20 October. Full ticket terms. Secure checkout. Prefer to talk to someone? Call (07) 4088 6688.
With thanks to
Workplaces and groups
Melbourne Cup is the one Tuesday of the year the whole crew can knock off early without anyone raising an eyebrow. It is a good excuse to get the team together, and it is a lot easier than organising a Christmas party.
Buy the whole group in one go — set the quantity at checkout and pay once. Then give us a ring with the names so we know who is coming and can look after you on the day.
Book ten, pay for nine.
Ten or more tickets in one order and one of them is on us — $79 straight off the total. Enter this code at checkout:
TEAM10
One free ticket per order. Applies to orders of ten tickets or more, Melbourne Cup tickets only.
If you are looking at twenty, thirty or the whole business, do not just click through — ring us. There is more we can do for a group that size than a checkout button allows, and we would rather work it out with you properly.
Call (07) 4088 6688 or email functions@missionbeachtavern.com.au and ask for Leigh.
Getting here
The fine print
Cancel on or before Tuesday 20 October 2026 and we refund your ticket in full.
Cancel after that and we can’t refund — staffing, food and stock are already committed. You’re welcome to pass your ticket to someone else, just tell us the new name before the day.
If something goes wrong on the day and you haven’t transferred your ticket, ring us. We’d rather sort it out than leave you out of pocket.
If we cancel the event, move it, or change it significantly, you get a full refund. That’s your right under the Australian Consumer Law and nothing here takes it away.
If you leave early or don’t use your full beverage package, speak to the duty manager and we’ll refund the unused portion. You should never feel you have to keep drinking to get your money’s worth.
Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any right or guarantee you have under the Australian Consumer Law.
18+ event. Everyone at the ticketed party must be 18 or over and able to show photo ID on request. The rest of the Tavern trades as normal from 10am and families are welcome as always.
Responsible service. Our staff are required by law to refuse service to anyone unduly intoxicated, and holding a ticket doesn’t change that. Free water, soft drinks and food are available right through the afternoon.
Photos. We take photos and video for our own social media and website. If you’d rather not be in shot, tell any staff member on the day.
Getting home. Sort out how you’re getting home before you start. Free parking on site, caravan park next door at 53 Porter Promenade.
Before you book
Tuesday 3 November 2026. The party runs from 12pm to 3pm at Mission Beach Tavern, 52 Porter Promenade, Mission Beach.
The Cup jumps at 3pm Melbourne time, which is 2pm in Queensland — Queensland does not run daylight saving. Doors open two hours before, at 12pm.
$79 per person. That covers an espresso martini on arrival, a three-hour beverage package (basic spirits, house sparkling, house wine and all tap beers, excluding Ginger Beer and Hard Rated), two hours of cocktail-style finger food (seafood, premium meats, antipasto, bakery items and canapés, with gourmet cheese and seasonal fruit platters), live acoustic music with Fraser Scott and entry to the fashion prizes.
Black and white. Hats are encouraged — there are prizes for Best Ladies Hat, Best Dressed Couple and Best Dressed Lady.
Bookings are essential. This is a stand-up cocktail party with limited tickets, so book online in advance rather than arriving on the day.
The Tavern is open to the public from 10am as usual, with TAB, Keno and the racing on the screens. The ticket is for the black and white cocktail party — the drinks package, the food and the fashion prizes.
Yes, if you let us know on or before Tuesday 20 October 2026 — fourteen days out — we will refund your ticket in full. After that we are not able to refund, because staffing, food and stock are already committed, but you can pass your ticket to someone else. If Mission Beach Tavern cancels or significantly changes the event you get a full refund regardless. If you do not use your full beverage package on the day, ask the duty manager and we will refund the unused portion.
Yes. Everyone attending the ticketed Melbourne Cup party must be 18 or over and may be asked for photo ID. The rest of the Tavern trades as normal from 10am, so families are still welcome in the venue as they always are.
Yes. Melbourne Cup falls on a Tuesday, which makes it an easy staff day to organise. Set the quantity at checkout and pay for the whole group in one transaction, then call (07) 4088 6688 with the names so everyone can be marked off on the day. For a table, a bar tab on top of the package, or anything else for a larger group, call the Tavern.
Yes. Book ten or more tickets in one order and one is free — use the code TEAM10 at checkout and $79 comes off the total. One free ticket per order, Melbourne Cup tickets only. For bigger groups, call the Tavern on (07) 4088 6688.
52 Porter Promenade, Mission Beach QLD 4852, with free parking on site. We are about two hours south of Cairns and two and a half hours north of Townsville, so we are an easy stop on the Bruce Highway drive.
Yes — there is a caravan park immediately next door at 53 Porter Promenade, and the Mission Beach Visitor Information Centre is across the road at number 55.
Proudly poured at the Tavern
Tuesday 3 November 2026
$79 per person. Espresso martini on arrival, three hours of drinks, two hours of cocktail food, live music and the race that stops the nation. Limited tickets.
(07) 4088 6688
52 Porter Promenade, Mission Beach QLD 4852
Mission Beach Tavern is open every day from 10am to 10pm excluding Good Friday and Christmas Day