L'Ormarins King's Plate (formerly Queen's Plate)
L'Ormarins King's Plate (formerly Queen's Plate) takes place Jan 9, 2027 (166th running) in Cape Town, South Africa. The dress code is Strictly blue and white - the signature dress code is enforced and is the whole identity of the day. Within that, anything from crisp tailoring to full couture works. Typical cost ranges from 70 to 600 EUR per person.
One of the oldest races in the southern hemisphere, run at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in Cape Town and staged by the Rupert family's L'Ormarins wine estate with an all blue-and-white dress code that the entire crowd observes. It is deliberately more refined and less flashy than the Met a few weeks later, pairing Grade 1 racing with live jazz, estate wines and a genuinely elegant atmosphere. The uniform colour scheme across thousands of guests is the thing that makes it visually unlike any other race day.
- When
- Jan 9, 2027 (166th running)
- Where
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Dress code
- Strictly blue and white - the signature dress code is enforced and is the whole identity of the day. Within that, anything from crisp tailoring to full couture works
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 70 to 600 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 20 - 28C, warm and sunny with an occasional southeaster
- When to book
- Tickets release through the official site and Computicket in the preceding year; book Cape Town accommodation early as January is peak season
- Getting there
- CPT (Cape Town), 25 min to venue
- Where to stay
- Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, The Silo Hotel, Vineyard Hotel (Newlands)
- Official site
- https://lormarinskingsplate.co.za/
How to attend
Buy through the official L'Ormarins King's Plate site or Computicket. General lawn access is affordable, with pricier hospitality lawns that include sparkling wine and food. Fully open to the public with no membership tier. Wear blue and white - it is enforced. Kenilworth is a short drive from central Cape Town, and the day runs from early afternoon into the evening with live music.
Insider tip
Blue and white is genuinely non-negotiable and the crowd commits completely - buy or borrow the outfit before you fly, because Cape Town's shops are picked clean of anything blue in the week before.
Get inside L'Ormarins King's Plate (formerly Queen's Plate)
Booking matters here: tickets release through the official site and Computicket in the preceding year; book Cape Town accommodation early as January is peak season. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
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