It’s one of the highlights of the racing calendar with thousands of people expected to descend on Cheltenham Racecourse from 11 March.
The racing event is run by The Jockey Club and is Britain’s third biggest sporting event in terms of attendance.
Attendance during The Cheltenham Festival triples the town’s population and the event is worth an estimated £274 million to the local economy, prize money across the four days will be in excess of £4.9 million.
When is Cheltenham Festival 2025?
The Festival runs from Tuesday 11 March until Friday 14 March. There are a total of 28 races over the 4 days. Gates open at 10:30 each morning.
On all four days the racing starts at 1.20 in the afternoon and the final race is at 5.20pm.
The Jockey Club says it has no formal dress code in place but does advise people to dress appropriately for the weather.
What is the weather forecast for the Festival?
The long range forecast suggests a mixture of sunny spells and some showers as the festival gets underway. Temperatures are expected to be below average for this time of year. As the week progresses, fine and dry conditions are expected.
Will there be disruption on the roads and railways?
National Highways is advising drivers using the M5 in Gloucestershire to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys during the Festival.
The busiest times on the roads are usually between 9.30am and 12.30pm each day.
There is the potential for delays on the M5 between junctions 9 and 11, on the A40 west of junction 11 and on the A46 east of junction 9.
Great Western Railway says this year more than 40 trains will serve Cheltenham Spa station to get racegoers to and from the festival site. Many of them are being laid on in addition to usual timetabled services to cater for the increase in demand.
Extra direct services and trains with more carriages than usual will mean almost 2,000 additional seats from London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa.
At the end of the day there will be five extra trains leaving Cheltenham towards Swindon and London, providing 3,000 additional seats.
As well as extra trains between Cheltenham and London, additional services will also operate towards Bristol, and towards Worcester; providing more than 16,000 seats in total to and from the festival every day.
A queuing system will be in operation at Cheltenham Spa allowing people to safely board trains.
Cheltenham Spa Station Manager Ben Scott said: “We can’t wait to welcome racegoers back again this year. It is fantastic that so many people choose to make a day of it and travel by train.
“Just remember, however, that as a result our trains will be extremely busy. To help ease congestion through the station, please do buy the connecting bus ticket before you arrive.
“For the return journey, a queuing system will be in place to help people safely board trains, so please give yourself a little extra time to get home and check the time of your last train home – and that’s even more important if you have come from further afield.”
