What to expect at Cheltenham Festival 2026
The Olympics of jump racing is back
Gloucestershire's biggest event of the year kicks off today as Cheltenham is set to welcome hundreds of thousands of people to the town for Cheltenham Festival.
Several changes have been made to the festival this year in the aim of improving the racegoer experience including a removal of drink restrictions in some areas, the lowering of the price of a pint and new covered areas in case the weather doesn't cooperate.
For those who haven't attended the festival before or those who want to jog their memory here's what you can expect over the next 4 days:
Day one: Champions Day
Champions day is the first day of the festival and is a celebration of the finest horses and jockeys.
The first race is set to kick off at 1:20pm is marked by the famous Cheltenham roar.
The headline race of the day is at 4pm and is the prestigious Unibet Champion Hurdle, a Grade 1 race over 2 miles, featuring the most skilled hurdlers in the world.
Day two: Ladies Day
Ladies day returns this year for the first time since 2019 with it being named 'Style Wednesday' in previous years, it's all in the aim of growing the number of female racegoers.
Spectators arrive in their finest attire and you'll see a range of weird and wonderful hats and fascinators around the course.
Away from the racing there will be the annual style awards taking place where the best dressed racegoer could win £10,000.
The headline race of the day is the queen mothers champion chase at 4pm with this award being presented by royalty in previous years.
Day three: St Patrick's Thursday
Although it might not officially be St Patrick's Day anywhere else it is in Cheltenham.
This day celebrates all things Irish with the racecourse turning into a sea of green, white and gold.
The horses with Irish roots and Irish trainers will be out in full force with two feature races taking place, the first at 3:20pm the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle and the 2nd at 4pm the Ryanair Steeple Chase.
If you want a change of scenery you can enjoy a pint in the Guinness village while listening some live Irish music, what could be more Irish?
Day four: Gold Cup Day
This is the last and biggest day of the festival, with the day already sold out it promises to be a big one.
The stakes will be at their highest with all jockeys hoping to get their hands on that all important cup.
For over 100 years this race has crowned some of the greatest racers in jump race history.
Last years winner Inothewayurthinkin is set to be back on the course, can victory be claimed again?
The all important race will be taking place at 4pm.