The Cat and Dog Lovers Festival
Public transport for The Cat and Dog Lovers Festival: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October 2026
The Cat and Dog Lovers Festival will return to Melbourne at the Melbourne Showgrounds! Public transport is your best way to enjoy it, with extra services to help you get to and from the Melbourne Showgrounds on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October 2026.
The event will run 9.30am to 5pm each day.
Before you travel
Plan your journey using Journey Planner and check Disruptions for service changes that may affect your journey.
Please visit the event website for further event Information visit Cat Lovers Festival Melbourne or Dog Lovers Festival Melbourne.
Metropolitan train
Getting to and from Melbourne Showgrounds
Trains will operate from Flinders Street (platform 6) stopping at Southern Cross (Platform 11/12) and North Melbourne (Platforms 3/4) in both directions, then express to the Showgrounds (Platform 1) as follows:
- From 8.15am, trains will operate every 30 minutes
- From 10.15am, trains will operate every 40 minutes
The last train is to depart from the Showgrounds at approximately 5.55pm.
Metropolitan tram
Getting to and from Melbourne Showgrounds
Regular and extra Trams will operate via Route 57, with extra trams operating via Route 57a between Stop 01 Flinders Street / Elizabeth Street and Stop 32 Sandown Road/ Epsom Road via Flemington Road, to and from the Showgrounds.
Metropolitan bus
Getting to and from Melbourne Showgrounds
The following bus route travels close to Flemington Racecourse:
- Route 472 (Williamstown to Moonee Ponds via Footscray)
Passengers can catch buses from Footscray Station and alight at Langs Road/Showgrounds.
Plan your journey using Journey Planner.
Regional train
Getting to Melbourne Showgrounds
Passengers arriving at North Melbourne and Southern Cross stations are advised to change trains and catch a Melbourne Showgrounds service.
Refer to the Metropolitan trains section above for service times and platform information.
Plan your journey using Journey Planner.
Leaving the Melbourne Showgrounds
Passengers are advised to catch any train from Melbourne Showgrounds and alight at Southern Cross or North Melbourne stations and change to a regional train.
Refer to the Metropolitan train section above for service times.
Plan your journey using Journey Planner.
Other helpful resources
- Visitors to Victoria: Here for a special event? Read more about our public transport system.
- Help and support: View popular public transport topics, including ticketing.
- Accessible travel: View resources for people with accessibility needs on public transport.
- VicTraffic: Road closures, bushfire activity and other events on Victoria’s roads may affect your journey. Plan a safer trip by viewing real-time alerts on VicTraffic.