Say ‘Cheltenham Races 2027’ to most jump racing fans and they’ll think of one thing: the Festival. That’s fair enough, given the fact that it’s the biggest week on the National Hunt calendar. But there’s a full season of racing at Prestbury Park before those four days arrive and it’s worth knowing where everything sits on the calendar.
Here’s what’s confirmed for the 2026-2027 season, including the Festival dates, and one piece of news that’s worth paying attention to before you start planning your trip.
Cheltenham Festival 2027 Dates
The Cheltenham Festival runs from Tuesday the 16th until Friday the 19th of March 2027. Gates open at 10:30am each day, with the first race getting off at 1:20pm and the last at 5:20pm, across 28 races over the four days. That is presuming that there are no major delays, of course.
The days keep their usual identities, which are as follows:
- Tuesday 16th of March: Champion Day, built around the Champion Hurdle (4pm)
- Wednesday 17th of March: Ladies Day, headlined by the Queen Mother Champion Chase (4pm)
- Thursday 18th of March: St Patrick’s Thursday, home to the Stayers’ Hurdle (3.20pm) and the Ryanair Chase (4pm)
- Friday 19th of March: Gold Cup Day, closing the week with the Cheltenham Gold Cup over roughly three miles and two and a half furlongs (4pm)
The Full Cheltenham 2026-2027 Fixture List
The Festival gets the headlines, but there are seven other race days on the calendar first. Here is the full season as it stands:
| Meeting | Dates | Tickets from |
|---|---|---|
| The William Hill Showcase | Fri 23rd – Sat 24th October 2026 | £30.50 |
| The November Meeting | Fri 13th – Sun 15th November 2026 | £13.50 |
| The Christmas Meeting | Fri 11th – Sat 12th December 2026 | £13.50 |
| New Year’s Day Racing | Friday 1st January 2027 | £13.50 |
| Festival Trials Day | Saturday 30th January 2027 | £13.50 |
| The Cheltenham Festival | Tue 16th – Fri 19th March 2027 | £42.00 |
| The April Meeting | Wed 14th – Thu 15th April 2027 | £16.00 |
| Race Night | Friday 30th April 2027 | £21.00 |
Prices are the advertised ‘from’ rates for general admission, correct as of the Jockey Club’s own ticketing page, but worth double-checking before you book.
What Has Actually Changed for 2027
There are no new races and no ticketing overhaul to report for the Festival itself. The main talking point is the ground. Cheltenham’s Trials Day meeting in the January of 2026 was disrupted when a broken drain caused a hole to appear in the home straight. Rather than patch things up, the racecourse cancelled its last two fixtures of the 2025-2026 season, the April Meeting and Race Night, in order to get the drainage sorted properly. The affected races didn’t disappear, however, but moved to Market Rasen, Warwick and Sandown Park, with the prize money unchanged.
Clerk of the course Jon Pullin said the work was brought forward, rather than left until the usual end-of-season slot, because there was still enough moisture in the ground to help the course recover before the following season began. Not everyone was pleased with how it was announced, though. Trainer Jamie Snowden and the National Trainers Federation both said they would have liked more warning before fixtures were pulled, even though neither disputed that the drainage work itself was needed, making it a difficult balance for the Jockey Club to get right.
For 2027, the upshot is straightforward, enough, with both the April Meeting and Race Night being back on the calendar and the racecourse saying that the work was carried out specifically so that the track would be ready for the new season. It is worth keeping an eye on the going reports as the season progresses, however, particularly through the wetter winter fixtures. That said, there’s absolutely nothing to suggest that the Festival itself will be at any risk.
One more change, which has nothing to do with Prestbury Park itself, sees ITV having agreed a new four-year deal in late 2025 to keep showing British racing free-to-air from 2027 through to the end of 2030. That means that the 2027 Festival will be the first one run under that fresh agreement, still on ITV1, ITV4 and ITVX.
The Tumbling Paddies Are Back for Two Days
One more addition for 2027, and this one’s for the entertainment rather than the racing, see The Tumbling Paddies return to the Festival. This time, they’re not stopping at one appearance. You can catch them live on Ladies Day, which is Wednesday, the 17th of March. That, joyfully enough, happens to be St Patrick’s Day itself, an Irish bank holiday. They’re then back again the next afternoon for Cheltenham’s St Patrick’s Thursday, if that’s not too confusing. Two live sets from one of Ireland’s most-loved bands, on back-to-back days, is new for them at Cheltenham.
Given how popular they were last time round, both days are likely to be busy, so it’s worth sorting tickets sooner rather than later. Buying ahead of the gate also tends to work out cheaper. When it comes to getting ready for Cheltenham 2027, the Showcase kicks things off in October, Festival Trials Day is your last proper form check before March, and then it’s the four days of the Cheltenham Festival itself that will be in the spotlight.