All you need to know about the Cheltenham Festival
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026 Cheltenham Festival is less than two weeks away and is one of the most attended events on the British sporting calendar.
It takes place over four days and is best known for its showpiece event, the Gold Cup.
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About a quarter of a million people are expected to descend on Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury Park this year.
Here is everything you need to know about this year's event, which takes place from 10-13 March.
What is on and when?
There are 28 races over the four day event, with seven taking place each day.
All of the racing action takes place between 13:20 GMT and 17:20 daily, but the organisers note that timings can be subject to change.
Each day's main event, known as the feature race, takes place at 16:00.
Day one is known as Champion Day, because of its feature event, the Unibet Champion Hurdle - which takes place over two miles (3.2km).
Ladies' Day - famed for the elaborate clothing worn by some spectators- is on 11 March and peaks with the two mile BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase at 16:00.
St Patrick's Thursday also has a two mile (3.2km) race as its main event - The Ryanair Chase.
The Festival's high point is on 13 March, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup - the showpiece event - taking place over three miles (4.8km).
How do I get there?
Car parking
There are several car parks around the festival site.
Parking needs to be booked in advance on The Jockey Club website.
This is also available for larger groups in minibuses.
Cars that do not have a booking will be turned away from the site.
Park and ride
There are regular buses from the Arle Court Park and Ride, which is located just off Junction 11 of the M5.
Buses to the racecourse begin at 09:15 and the last is at 14:30.
Services back to the park and ride run from 16:00 until 19:30.
Tickets cost £15 and the journey time is around 20 minutes, but can be longer because of traffic.
Train
Cheltenham Spa is the nearest railway station and is around 2.2 miles (3.5km) from the racecourse.
Dedicated bus services run between the two locations - picking up from the railway station car park.
Visitors can buy tickets from Stagecoach staff at the car park, or on the Stagecoach Bus app.
Single tickets cost £6.50 and return tickets are £10.
Buses from the town centre
Dedicated services run from the town centre to the racecourse from stop 8 on Clarence Street.
Visitors can buy tickets from Stagecoach staff at the car park, or on the Stagecoach Bus app.
Single tickets cost £6.50 and return tickets are £10.
Is travel disruption expected?
Cheltenham has a population of around 120,000 people and twice that number visit The Festival over the four days, so congestion is likely on the roads.
Local transport services including the Arle Court Park and Ride have extra buses in place.
Many people choose to walk between the racecourse and the town centre, which takes around 30 minutes.
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