Four days in March when jump racing settles its arguments, and sixty thousand people make more noise than any racecourse in the world
Cheltenham Festival: Four Days, the Gold Cup and Which Day to Take
About Cheltenham
The Cheltenham Festival is held over four days each March at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire, and is the championship meeting of National Hunt racing.
What Makes It Different
The Cheltenham Roar — the sound sixty thousand people make as the tapes go up on the first race of the meeting — is the single most distinctive moment in British sport.
The festival carries a large Irish contingent, and the rivalry between Irish and British yards gives the week its edge. Each day has its own championship race, building to the Gold Cup on the Friday.
Where to Start
- Pick the day by the race — Champion Hurdle on Tuesday, Champion Chase on Wednesday, Stayers’ on Thursday, Gold Cup on Friday
- Choose the enclosure — Club, Tattersalls and Best Mate are different days out entirely
- Book the Cotswolds early — the whole region fills for the week
- Arrange the driving — the lanes around the course seize up by mid-morning
Arrange It With Perfect.Live
Tell us which day and we will arrange the enclosure and the base
The Four Days
Tuesday opens the meeting with the Champion Hurdle and the Roar. Wednesday carries the Champion Chase, Thursday the Stayers’ Hurdle, and Friday the Gold Cup, which is the championship race of the season.
Wednesday and Thursday are meaningfully easier to attend and, for many regulars, the better racing days.
How We Help
- The day chosen for the race you want to see
- An enclosure or box that matches how you want to spend it
- A house in the Cotswolds rather than a hotel forty minutes away
- A driver for lanes that seize up entirely by mid-morning
The same week pairs naturally with our guide to the best Sunday roast in London on the way home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Over four days each March, at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire.
The championship race of the festival and of National Hunt racing, run on the final day.
The noise the crowd makes as the first race of the meeting starts. It is unlike anything else in racing.
Tuesday for the Champion Hurdle, Friday for the Gold Cup. Wednesday and Thursday carry their own championship races and are easier.
In the Cotswolds. The region fills for the week, so it needs arranging months ahead.
Club, Tattersalls and Best Mate differ in view, service and atmosphere rather than in the racing, and the difference over a full day is considerable.
Around sixty thousand people a day. The arrival and departure are the parts worth planning.
