The four-day Cheltenham Festival has come under a barrage of scrutiny in recent years – leading to falling attendances, but it seems track officials are trying to meet the problems head-on by announcing a number of changes for 2026, including a Guinness price drop.
Cheltenham Festival Guinness Prices Dropped By 30p For 2026
The Cheltenham Festival Guinness prices always attracts plenty of interest each year – after all its reported around 265,00 pints of the ‘black stuff’ are necked over the four-day meeting.
Therefore, this alone is big business for Cheltenham and can often be a big talking point amongst racegoers and even sway them on attending.
Which is why the Jockey Club, who own Cheltenham racecourse, have made the price of a pint of Guinness at the Cheltenham Festival their starting point for change.
During the 2025 Festival, a pint of Guinness cost £7.80, but it’s been announced this will drop by 30p to £7.50.
This Guinness price drop at the Cheltenham Festival will bring the cost back to the 2022 level.
Therefore, if another 265,000 pints of Guinness are drunk in 2026 – this 30p reduction will see £79,500 of lost profit.
But the track is clearly in the thinking that this price drop will help bring back falling attendances and if they are right and cheaper Guinness helps – they can make up this loss elsewhere.
Cheltenham Chief Executive Guy Lavender said “The price of a pint of Guinness is a peculiarly emotive issue for many people, but it’s important,” Lavender said. “You can’t benchmark it, Cheltenham is its own event, but it was quite clear that this was something people cared about. Therefore, my view was that we ought to do something about.”
“Rather than put their prices up, which I expect every other venue to do, I felt we should reduce those prices and carry those costs ourselves. That’s a decision we’ve taken to implement for the whole of the season.”
This price change will now also see a Guinness at Cheltenham cost less than the Wembley beer prices, which are £7.85.
Cheltenham Festival Attendances Been Falling Since 2022
| Year | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Total |
| 2025 | 55,498 | 41,149 | 53,366 | 68,026 | 218,839 |
| 2024 | 60,181 | 46,771 | 53,918 | 69,129 | 229,999 |
| 2023 | 60,231 | 50,387 | 61,451 | 68,444 | 240,603 |
| 2022 | 68,567 | 64,431 | 73,754 | 73,875 | 280,627 |
What Other Cheltenham Festival 2026 Changes
Of course, just lowering the price Guinness at the Cheltenham Festival by 30p isn’t going to solve the Cheltenham problem overnight – with the course recognising that this, along with several other changes, will all help get the most popular jumps meeting back on track.
So, what are the other Cheltenham Festival changes for 2026 that the track are implementing?
Drinks Restrictions Removed 🍾
The track also announced that some drinks restrictions on the track will now be REMOVED in 2026.
Meaning racegoers can float around the course a lot easier with a drink in hand.
In the past, there have been many areas where alcoholic drinks are not allowed in – including some parts of the Club Enclosure, but these will now be lifted.
This is also expected to help with bar queues all around the track and also assist betting activity with on-course bookmakers, now people can move more freely around with a drink.
Better PA System 🔊
Cheltenham have also revealed a new PA system at the track that will mean delivering better quality information to racegoers.
This is expected to mean clearer and louder race commentaries and a better upgraded TV coverage around the track, which is being provided by RaceTech and RaceIQ.
This will also include better race data, trends and stats on screen all through the meeting.
Cheltenham Festival 2026 Ticket Costs and Pricing Windows 🎫
Probably one of the biggest talking points surrounding the Cheltenham Festival in recent times, is their ticket prices.
Anyone wanting to go all four days and do so in the Club Enclosure will set them back £417 even at the ‘Early Bird’ prices – rising to over £500 if leaving buying a ticket later.
This price can come down to £348 with their ‘Super Early Bird’ price – but unfortunately this pricing window has gone (see below).
Cheltenham Pricing Window Dates 📆
- Super Early Bird – 17th March 2025 – 30th April 2025
- Early Bird – 1st May 2025 – 4th December 2025
- Advanced Sale 5th December 2025 – 5th February 2026
- General Sale – 6th February 2026 – until 23:59 before raceday
These 2026 Cheltenham ticket prices windows have given racegoers the chance to buy cheaper tickets for longer.
And means with the extra pricing window ticket prices are lower or the same as the 2025 festival.
The cheapest Cheltenham Festival ticket option remains the Best Mate enclosure.
Which is as low as £35 on the ‘Super Early Bird’ offer. Or up to £60 on general sale and £70 a day on the gate.
Reducing The Cheltenham Festival Capacity 🧑🤝🧑
In a bid to further ease crowds and congestion, the track has also said the 2026 festival capacity will be reduced from 68,500 to 66,000 each day.
This is believed to have come after a customer feedback exercise. Meaning queues around the bars, restaurants and toilets will ease.
Plus getting in and out of the course and the flow of the car parks are also naturally going to have a less burden.
Cheltenham Accommodation Prices – ‘Room To Race’ 🛌🏻
The rising cost of Cheltenham accommodation has also been a big factor why numbers have fallen.
Add this to the ticket, travel, food and drink costs then going to the Cheltenham Festival can often run into thousands – and that’s before anyone has had a bet.
Of course, it’s tricky for the track to police this area.
With bed and breakfast places and hotels setting their own prices and when demand is there, some can really charge whatever they like.
However, the course has taken some action here with the introduction of ‘Room To Race’ at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. Which was in partnership with travel firm Venatour that offered over 500 accommodation sites at reduced rates.
More of the same is on the cards for 2026, with Cheltenham expected to also work with more hotels and sites in order to keep the accommodation prices respectable so everyone in the area is happy, as well as the racegoers.
Cheltenham Festival Tented Village and Bars Get Redesign 🍻
There will also be a new covered food court in the tented village at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
This will give more options and increase the food and drink coverage in this part of the track. Which will help to ease queues at other bars too.
Club and Tattersalls ticket holders will have access here.
They will also refurbish two bars in the main grandstand – the Cottage Rake and Mill House. These will re-open at the October Meeting and also see a new bar called the Prestbury View open.
Extra food outlets will be dotted around the track too and all this means five of the seven bars in the main grandstand have had a spruce-up in 2025.
When Is The 2026 Cheltenham Festival? 🏇
🗓️Day One – Tuesday 10th March 2026 (Champion Day)
🗓️Day Two – Wednesday 11th March 2026 (Ladies Day)
🗓️Day Three – Thursday 12th March 2026 (St Patrick’s Day)
🗓️Day Four – Friday 13th March 2026 (Gold Cup Day)
