'Better than ever' - Key Cheltenham Festival 2026 changes to deliver 'more positive experience'

The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of National Hunt racing and we are privileged to witness the best of the best fighting it out for a place in the history books.

Cheltenham’s famous atmosphere is second to none and it all adds together to make an iconic racegoing experience.

That being said, there’s always room for improvement and the course has made some minor changes in order to hopefully make the Festival better than ever. We’re going to go through the changes now so you know what to expect ahead of the 2026 Festival.

Important schedule changes

Probably the most significant change for 2026, organisers have decided to move the Mares’ Hurdle from its usual berth on Day 1 in order to boost the quality of Thursday’s card. This is significant, as the race now switches from the old course to the new course.

As a result the TrustATrader Plate, historically taking place on Thursday, will now be run on Tuesday, switching from the new course to the old course.

The Cheltenham Festival begins on Tuesday March 10th and concludes on Friday March 13th. There have been discussions over the years about adding a fifth day, but those have been put on hold once again and the Festival will continue to be four days for the foreseeable future.

Racing used to run from 1.30 until 5.30 each day but the action will start and finish 10 minutes earlier this year, which is a good move with regards to daylight. The final race of each day is often run in dim light and this is a positive for health and safety.

Capacity reduction

One issue that has been cited by many as a negative aspect of the experience is overcrowding and feedback has suggested that it’s a major cause for falling attendances in recent seasons.

To combat that, Cheltenham have decided to introduce a new maximum capacity of 66,000, which is the second crowd size reduction since in the last four years. This sounds like a positive move and those on the course should have a more positive experience.

The price of a guinness

Cheltenham Festival racegoers have criticised the price of drinks at the Festival in recent years, but there’s some good news on the horizon. Chief executive Guy Lavender has announced that a pint of Guinness will cost £7.50, the same price as it was back in 2022.

Many will be delighted at this news, as perhaps when the pints go flying after a winner, punters can feel less bad about the wastage!

Speaking of drinks, it will now be permitted to take beverages into the betting ring, which should provide a well-needed buzz.

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