The real reason you choose one gig over another

There's a curious reason you might pick a mosh pit over a jazz set, and according to psychologists, it has more to do with the mood you need in the moment than your actual taste in music.

It turns out we choose entertainment on purpose: to feel something, to belong to something, to remember something, or simply to switch off. We don't consume it passively. Two people can stand in exactly the same crowd, at exactly the same show, and walk away having had two completely different experiences, both of them right.

Put that logic to the test at Flemington this year. The entertainment program delivers 250 live performances in 25 locations across the Carnival, from headline sets to smaller pockets scattered through the crowd, so whatever mood you're chasing, there's likely a set built for exactly that. Here's where to find yours.

Vibe: Adrenaline, energy and lifelong memory

For some, it's the spectacle that matters most: the lights, the scale, the sense that they've stepped into something bigger than an ordinary Tuesday. It's the size of the moment, the feeling that you were actually there when it happened, and it’s going to go down in history.

Tune in to: Robbie Williams, bringing his BRITPOP World Tour to The Elms Live Stage on Lexus Melbourne Cup Day, playing hits like Let Me Entertain You, Angels and She’s the One – all included in General Admission entry. Throw your head back, hit the big note of Angels and let a soaring electric guitar bring you back to the ’90s, and into the moment, all at the same time.

In the words of the star himself: “Expect big songs, big energy and a massive celebration after the race that stops the nation.”

Racegoers can level up their experience by securing a ticket to the Smirnoff Sky Deck, positioned in the heart of The Elms precinct, which offers an unrivalled vantage point of the track and headline entertainment. With a private bar, dynamic atmosphere and uninterrupted views from the first race to the post‑race party, it’s the ultimate way to experience Cup Week.

Vibe: Familiar, safe, seventeen again

Song that take you straight back to being seventeen, singing every word without having to think about it, hands in the air before you've even decided to put them there. That's not nostalgia for nostalgia's sake. That's finding yourself in the music.

Tune in to: British singer Jess Glynne, whose run of chart-topping singalong hits include Hold My Hand and Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself, who headlines The Elms Live Stage on Howden Victoria Derby Day. Glynne is known for an electrifying live show – expect a pumping dance floor where you can sing your heart out.

Or on Crown Oaks Day, don’t miss homegrown powerhouse Vanessa Amorosi. Her anthemic vocals and fearless artistic evolution have made her one of the country’s most enduring and versatile musicians. And then there’s Absolutely Everybody. A quintessentially late-90s dance-pop anthem, its disco-groove beat and upbeat energy are just as infectious today, offering the ultimate invitation to find yourself – and find yourself dancing.

Amorosi is headlining The Elms Live Stage after the last race or, for a more exclusive experience, you can see her perform at The Crown Oaks Club Lunch hosted at the iconic Palladium at Crown Melbourne. The lunch is one of the most anticipated traditions of Melbourne Cup Carnival, a spectacular afternoon of racing, fashion, fine dining and live music.

Vibe: Switch off and let loose

The kind of experience where the bassline takes over and you stop thinking altogether, if only for a few hours. It's the feeling of losing yourself completely, dancing or singing like nobody’s watching, and the world beyond the stage goes quiet.

Tune in to: Global DJ phenomenon FISHER, the Grammy-nominated force behind the dance-floor staple Losing It, returns to Flemington to close the Carnival on TAB Champions Stakes Day with his epic Off the Rails party. If his set last year is anything to go by, this is a party you won’t want to miss. The rails open after the last race and the whole track becomes the dance floor.

No instinct here is right or wrong. They're just different answers to the same question: what do you need to feel? At this year's Melbourne Cup Carnival, there’s multiple winning answers.

Fancy a Gallop? Melbourne Cup Carnival runs from October 31 to November 7. Tickets are on sale now from $50 at vrc.com.au.