If you love horses, horse racing is nothing to celebrate. Sadly, a lot of people still don't know the shocking truth about horse racing ... what the industry refers to as 'wastage' -- the thousands of horses that are killed every single year simply because they aren't winning races and making money.

So I for one won't be celebrating the Melbourne Cup BUT there's plenty of other good reasons to celebrate -- It's a Tuesday? (Which means it's not a Monday.) The sun is shining? (Fingers crossed.) I get a day off while my mates in other states have to work? Yep. Yep. Yep! (Sorry guys). So here's my top tips for how to celebrate November 3rd minus the cruelty of horse racing ...

Our friends at Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) are hosting a picnic at the park opposite Flemington Racecourse.

• Cruelty-free BBQ ✔
• Animal friends welcome ✔
• Show racegoers that kindness is more fun than cruelty ✔

RSVP to the FB event

Let's be honest, the best bits of Cup Day are the fancy clothes and hats. (And the company of course!) So host a Hat Day party! Get your mates together, put a fake feather in your hair, clink glasses and if you're the gambling type, here's 10 bets you can make with your friends that you'll never lose :)

A lot of workplaces and even schools have sweeps on race day or place bets in other ways. Why not convince your work or school mates to put their coin towards helping animals this year instead of supporting cruelty?

You could all pitch in a few dollars, draw a name out of a hat to win a box of chocolates or another prize, and then donate the rest to an animal charity of your choice.

It's pretty clear that there's heaps of ways to drop the cruelty of racing and still have an awesome day on Nov 3. So let your friends know too by sharing this silly hat cat on facey. Maybe with an invite to your cruelty-free party ;)

I'm a sucker for a dress up. No doubt about it. But when Melbourne Cup rolls around, and everyone's pulling out their fanciest hat and snazziest bow tie, I'm just over here like:

Because horse racing is nothing to celebrate. Sadly, a lot of people still don't know the shocking truth about horse racing ... what the industry refers to as 'wastage' ... and I refer to in words that I can't use in a blog. I'm talking about the thousands of horses that are killed every single year simply because they aren't winning races and making money. (Click here to expose the truth for yourself.)

So yeah, not getting dolled up for that BUT pretty much any other reason'll do -- It's a Tuesday? It's the 4th of November? I get a day off while my mates in other states have to work? Yep. Yep. Yep! (Sorry guys). So here's my top tips for how to celebrate November 4 minus the cruelty of horse racing ...

For all my fellow Melbournites, head down to Northcote for Eastment Street Derby -- "the race that stops a street!" -- an annual billy cart race on Cup Day. Check it:

Yes. Isaac Panaretos gives an awesomely accurate description of the day: "Some people race carts but most people drink long necks and stand in the way. Everyone else goes to the Melbourne Cup to take selfies for their tinder profiles." I know where I'd rather be ;)

[Pic thanks to Asher Floyd.]

Our friends at Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) are hosting a picnic at the park opposite Flemington Racecourse.

• Cruelty-free BBQ ✔
• Animal friends welcome ✔
• Show racegoers that you don't need to bet on cruelty to have a good time ✔

Check out the FB event here.

Let's be honest, the best bits of Cup Day are the hats and the champagne. (Alcohol free of course!) So host a Hat Day party! Get your mates together, put a fake feather in your hair, clink glasses and if you're the gambling type, here's 10 bets you can make with your friends that you'll never lose :)

A lot of workplaces and even schools have sweeps on race day or place bets in other ways. Why not convince your work or school mates to put their coin towards helping animals this year instead of supporting cruelty?

You could all pitch in a few dollars, draw a name out of a hat to win a box of chocolates or some other prize, and then donate the rest to a charity of your choice. A donation to the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses would go directly to campaigns to help race horses.

If you're in Adelaide, you're in luck because someone's already organised a NOT the Melbourne Cup fundraising event :) All the deets here.

It's pretty clear that there's heaps of ways to drop the cruelty of racing and still have an awesome day on Nov 4. So let your friends know too by sharing this silly hat cat on facey. Maybe with an invite to your cruelty-free party ;)

Have a happy Hat Day! Got another good idea for how to celebrate Nov 4 without cruelty? Leave us a comment :)

What happens when you take a cultural tradition and take out the animal cruelty? ... You make it waaaaay more awesome, obvs. Check out these 4 cool examples and see if you agree with me :)

One small Spanish town has said balls to cruelty by recreating an old tradition minus the animal abuse. Many people are shocked to learn that the bulls who are forced to take part in the Running of the Bulls festival will in fact suffer a slow and painful death when they reach the bull ring at the end of the run. But never again in the town of Mataelpino. Check out how they're keeping the tradition alive without harming any animals :)

Zomg this year the first ever Vegan Oktoberfest took place in Santa Monica, Calilfornia. I am so going next year.

Vegan Oktoberfest has all the best bits of Oktoberfest -- beer, German culture and quirky outfits -- and none of the worst. In 2012, half a million chickens, 116 whole oxen and 115,000 pork sausages were served up in Munich's beer tents in just 3 weeks. That's a lot of animals lives :(

Thankfully, as Vegan Oktoberfest has shown, it's possible to have all the traditional fun with none of the cruelty! Yay :) Check out the highlights on the Vegan Oktoberfest facebook page and keep an eye out for me at the next one ;)

Ok this is really cool. The Dorsal Effect encourages more tourists to come to Lombok -- an island in Indonesia -- to give fishermen a way to make money without the cruelty of killing sharks for their fins. Check this out:

WARNING: The first 30 seconds of this is pretty graphic so skip past if you find it upsetting.

How's that for turning cruelty on it's head for a celebration of natural beauty and culture? What's more, locals can see that sharks are worth more to them alive than they are dead. Who's up for a trip to Lombok?

November 4 from now on and forever more will be known as Hat Day. Because hats are awesome! And cruelty is not. Find out how you can take part in Hat Day (formerly known as Melbourne Cup Day) and help protect horses from cruelty simply by having an awesome time :)