A private estate in Sussex where a hundred years of motorsport is driven up a driveway, in anger, all weekend
Goodwood Festival of Speed: The Hill, the Paddocks and Which Day to Take
About the Festival of Speed
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is held each July in the grounds of Goodwood House in West Sussex. Its centrepiece is the hillclimb, a 1.16-mile run from the house up through the estate, driven by everything from pre-war grand prix cars to current Formula One machinery.
What Makes It Different
Nothing is behind glass. Cars that would be static exhibits anywhere else are started, driven hard and then parked in a paddock you can walk through, with the drivers standing next to them.
The manufacturers use the weekend for world debuts, so the newest cars share a lawn with the oldest. It is a motor show, a historic race meeting and a garden party happening simultaneously on someone’s lawn.
Where to Start
- Choose the day — Thursday is quieter and increasingly the connoisseur’s day, Sunday carries the timed shootout and the biggest crowd
- Decide about the paddocks and the enclosures — general admission covers a great deal, hospitality buys shade, a seat and a view of the hill
- Book Sussex early — the county fills, and the lanes around the estate are slow at the best of times
- Read the timetable first — the running order decides which day is actually yours
Arrange It With Perfect.Live
Tell us what you want to see run and we will pick the day
The Hill and the Timetable
The Goodwood Festival of Speed timetable is released ahead of the event and sets the running order on the hill across the four days, including the Sunday shootout. It is worth reading before choosing a day rather than after.
Batches run through the day by era and category, which means the cars you came to see may all run within the same two hours.
How We Help
- The day chosen for the cars you want to see
- An enclosure with a view of the hill rather than of the crowd
- Accommodation in Sussex secured before the county sells out
- A driver for lanes that become impassable on the Sunday
We do not resell tickets. We take the running order, work out which day suits and arrange access, transport and rooms around it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Over four days each July, in the grounds of Goodwood House in West Sussex.
A timed run of roughly 1.16 miles from the house up through the estate, driven by historic and contemporary competition cars.
Thursday for space and access, Sunday for the timed shootout and the full spectacle.
It is released ahead of the event and sets the running order on the hill across the four days, including the Sunday shootout.
Yes. Open paddocks are central to the event, and the cars are accessible in a way they are not elsewhere.
No. The Revival is a separate September meeting on the motor circuit, run entirely in period dress.
Across Sussex rather than beside the estate. The lanes are slow and the nearby stock is committed early.
