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

    By Bianca Britton, CNN

    Updated 1032 GMT (1832 HKT) November 5, 2018

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    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.
    Photos: The place to be if you're a VIP at the Melbourne Cup
    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.
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