Melbourne Cup Birdcage: Where VIPs eat ants and drink space champagne

    By Bianca Britton, CNN

    Updated 1032 GMT (1832 HKT) November 5, 2018

    The Birdcage at the Melbourne Cup is the epicenter of style and glamor -- and the place to be seen if you're a celebrity or VIP.
    Photos: The place to be if you're a VIP at the Melbourne Cup
    The Birdcage at the Melbourne Cup is the epicenter of style and glamor -- and the place to be seen if you're a celebrity or VIP.
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    Within the enclosure sponsors host bespoke lavish marquees which feature everything from purple martinis, decadent floral displays, entertainment routines and plenty of designer outfits.
    Photos: The place to be if you're a VIP at the Melbourne Cup
    Within the enclosure sponsors host bespoke lavish marquees which feature everything from purple martinis, decadent floral displays, entertainment routines and plenty of designer outfits.
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    The $7.3 million cup began in 1861 and has evolved into a week-long festival -- where horse racing isn't its only focus, but also fashion, entertainment and hospitality.
    Photos: The place to be if you're a VIP at the Melbourne Cup
    The $7.3 million cup began in 1861 and has evolved into a week-long festival -- where horse racing isn't its only focus, but also fashion, entertainment and hospitality.
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    Maison Mumm has centered its marquee around the launch of its champagne bottle which has been designed for space travel.
    Photos: The place to be if you're a VIP at the Melbourne Cup
    Maison Mumm has centered its marquee around the launch of its champagne bottle which has been designed for space travel.
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    Mumm's marquee will also feature "high energy visual performances" by its Space Odyssey Orchestra.
    Photos: The place to be if you're a VIP at the Melbourne Cup
    Mumm's marquee will also feature "high energy visual performances" by its Space Odyssey Orchestra.
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    Black ants will be served for desert at the Lexus Design Pavilion. In Ben Shewry's dish, the New Zealand chef serves up an ice-cream lamington, which is coated in black Australian ants and coconut with chocolate grown and hand made in Queensland's Daintree Forest.