Sandwiched between Derby Day and Cup Day, it is clear the first Monday in November is being treated by many people as a “bridge” day.
Hence, Monday’s unofficial public holiday, a bridge from the weekend leading directly to Tuesday’s only-in-Melbourne day off for a horse race.Anyone who ventured into the CBD on Monday couldn’t help but notice everyone had given themselves the day off.It calls to mind the four-day weekend favoured by the leisure-loving French, who term the concept “faire le pont”, translated as “to make the bridge” between the weekend and any midweek day off.
Hospitality venues think it signals the start of good times. Certainly, anyone in the vicinity of Crown at the tail end of Derby Day on Saturday witnessed the influx of the monochromatic army of racegoers.Chris Lucas, owner of Society and Grill Americano restaurants, said the start of November was about more than just a four-day weekend.
“Coming out of a pretty harsh winter, in respect of business, you could feel the energy in the city. It is not just locals who are out and about. It is also interstate visitors. Our numbers have jumped by 30 per cent almost overnight.” “Evening and weekend activity has increased significantly, while the weekday workday is below where it was. This means Sundays are now busier than Mondays in the CBD. Think about that – weekends and evenings are now busier than some traditional workdays in the ‘central business district’,” he said.“While work-from-home is dead, new flexible working arrangements mean that on a week like Melbourne Cup, you are likely to see some office workers taking advantage of the ability to work remotely.
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