Cheltenham has announced it will lower the price of a pint and reduce capacity at its showpiece meeting in March in a bid to win back punters after criticism.
The Festival has experienced a steady decline in attendance rates, with rising costs of travel, accommodation, tickets, and food and drink all driving away fans in recent years.
The price of a Guinness - a particularly popular beverage among Cheltenham punters - went up 30p to £7.80 for the 2025 Festival, sparking criticism, while in previous years spectators have complained of overcrowding, although in 2025 none of the four days attracted more than 56,000 attendees.
Organisers have sought to win spectators back over by lowering the prices for the upcoming jumping season, reducing pint prices by 30p again to £7.50 - a return to 2022 levels - and cutting daily capacity from 68,500 to 66,000.
A raft of further changes have been introduced, including the removal of drinks restrictions, allowing attendees to move freely around the racecourse with drinks, refurbished bars, and a new covered food court. Prosecco will be available for the first time, giving racegoers the option of cheaper bubbles rather than splashing out on champagne.
An improved PA system will allow spectators to hear commentary more clearly, and the introduction of additional discounted ticket windows will provide racegoers with reduced-price tickets for longer. Tickets are currently available at “early bird” rates ranging from £47-100 for the first three days and £64-117 for Gold Cup day, the last of the meeting.
The second day of the Festival will also be referred to by its former name of ‘Ladies’ Day’, rather than ‘Style Wednesday’, as it has been promoted as since 2019.
Attendances at every day of the 2025 Festival were lower than the equivalent in 2024, although Gold Cup day was sold out as usual. 2022 marked the high point of recent years as the first meeting available to spectators since the Covid-19 pandemic: 280,627 racegoers attended, with that number falling to 218,839 this year.
Many choose to experience the Festival from holiday destinations like Benidorm, with the cost of a trip abroad cheaper than attending the meeting in person, and inexpensive drinks and the chance to soak up some sun added draws for punters.
Last year’s Style Wednesday recorded its lowest single-day attendance in over three decades, of 41,949 spectators - a 34 per cent drop from the 64,431 attending on the same day in 2022.
Several changes were introduced last year, including a new park and ride system and a relaxation on drinking restrictions course-side - a successful trial which has been expanded to cover the entire course this season.
Chief executive Guy Lavender, who took the helm in January this year, said: “We were pleased with the changes which were implemented last season and were generally very well received, both in terms of the race programme and customer experience.
“We said when these changes were announced that this is a process of evolution and not revolution and that we would sit down at the end of the season to look at where we can continue to make improvements.
“We know that value for money is one of the most important factors for people to consider when deciding which events to attend and that is especially the case at The Festival. I’ve said previously that value for money is not always driven by reducing prices and can often be achieved by improving the quality of the offering.
“The changes announced today mark another meaningful step forward, but it is always important to listen to your customers and evolve, and I can guarantee that there will be further changes for 2027.”
