Cheltenham moves to halt festival crowds slump with cheaper Guinness and reduced capacity among the changes

Cheltenham has taken action to stop the festival’s attendance slump, with beer prices dropped and capacity lowered as racecourse boss Guy Lavender moves to prioritise the racegoer experience in a bid to increase crowds in 2026.

Last season’s attendance of 218,839 was the smallest recorded in the past decade but Lavender expressed confidence numbers would increase in 2026, with sales already encouraging.

The price of a pint of Guinness has been reduced by 30p to £7.50, the same as it was in 2022.

Lavender, who replaced Ian Renton as chief executive in January, said that particular decision was made in order to highlight Cheltenham’s intention to respond to its critics.

• Drinks prices cut, crowds capped and car parking upgrades - Cheltenham's changes explained 

"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 it.

"Rather than put 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.

"If you look at other sports and events, I think there will be very few that are matching that price point. It's a deliberate, purposeful move towards delivering better value for racegoers. It's not about selling more pints, it's an indication of intent that we're responding to the challenges around value. I hope it will be well received."

Guy Lavender: "It's a deliberate, purposeful move towards delivering better value for racegoers"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

A new capacity of 66,000 has also been introduced as Cheltenham identified overcrowding as a key factor behind the attendance drop. It is the second reduction in four years, after an initial crowd cap was introduced following a record attendance of 73,875 in 2022.

Restrictions on where drinks are permitted have also been ditched. A trial last season in Tattersalls received positive feedback with customers, while course bookmakers said it led to a revival of the betting ring with the best turnover in 15 years.

Lavender added: “This is about our commitment to great customer service and providing confidence that it's not going to be rammed and impossible to enjoy the day.

"I think racegoers may have fallen out of love because it's been too busy. Therefore, we want to deliver the best experience and that applies to the racecourse itself and getting to it.

“There are green shoots in terms of attendance. I think they're strong enough where we are right now but there's room to grow. There are so many variables about what attendance you get, I'm confident we're going to see growth in numbers in the season ahead.”

Accommodation prices in Cheltenham during festival week remain a critical factor for racegoers and Lavender called on hotels to be “sensible”, having met with owners over the summer. The Jockey Club launched the 'Room to Race' programme with local travel group Venatour last year to create affordable accommodation options and uptake for 2026 has already surpassed last season's sales.

• Watch: Cheltenham chief executive Guy Lavender discusses the racecourse's changes 

Ticket prices for the festival, which starts on Tuesda,y March 10, were frozen for a second successive year when released in March and longer discount windows have now been introduced. The super early-bird window ended in April but early-bird prices, now available until December 4, start from £47.

Major refurbishments have also taken place during the off-season, with more than £1 million spent on improving the customer experience, including a new PA system and the creation of a covered food area in the tented village.

There has been a further upgrade to the car parking areas after a disastrous 2024 when boggy conditions after heavy rain led to lengthy delays after racing. Five of the seven bars in the main grandstand have also been renovated while, as previously announced, the Wednesday of the festival has been rebranded as ladies' day.

• Watch: West Country correspondent James Stevens on the changes

The festival race programme remains “under review” but Lavender revealed no major changes would be made for 2026, with only small amendments possible in the coming weeks. The ex-Lord’s cricket ground boss, however, hinted at further possible “transformational” change in for future years.

"I think there are some other areas we need to look at, how we organise the racecourse and the future of membership. There are loads of things to consider but I'm reluctant to be drawn on specifics at this stage.

"These changes are quite evolutionary but there are some other things that we might do that are more transformational. We'll work through those over the course of the year."

Read more on the Cheltenham changes:

Cheltenham changes need to work - racing cannot afford for the festival to be anything less than the pinnacle   

Drinks prices cut, crowds capped and car parking upgrades - Cheltenham's changes explained 

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