Cheltenham Festival, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Cheltenham Festival is one of the biggest dates on the National Hunt racing calendar in the UK, second only to the Grand National. Taking place over 4 days in March at Cheltenham Racecourse less than a mile and a half from Cheltenham town centre, the Festival includes the popular Style Wednesday (formerly Ladies Day) and usually, St Parick’s Day. Over 250,000 spectators come to watch the thrill of the chase with Grade 1 races that include the Champion Hurdle, The Queen Mother Championship Chase and the prestigious Prestbury culminating in the world famous Gold Cup.
Anyone who’s been before will tell you how brilliant the atmosphere is, the air is filled with excitement, especially when the first race starts and the crowd lets rip with the ‘Cheltenham Roar’. There’s so much going on in the form of experiences, live entertainment and hospitality, with several restaurants from fine dining to traditional pub ambience, and the fun continuing after the racing with music and partying.
Enhance your visit with an experience at The Orchard or hire a private box, book for access to enclosures for first rate views of the turf, grab a whole load of retail therapy at the Shopping Village, join in the party atmosphere of the Guinness Village.
And then there’s Style Wednesday, when all the finery comes out for a showstopping spectacle of the sartorial – think timeless elegance with woollens, tweeds, furs, silks and velvets; there’ll be no shortage of hats and fascinators, cravats and pocket squares!
There is nothing else on earth quite like Cheltenham Festival; the thundering hooves, the hearty cheers, the high energy. The air is charged, it’s fun, it’s unforgettable.
All information correct at the time of writing