Cheltenham Festival vows to freeze ticket prices and improve car parking after attendance decline

Cheltenham Festival has vowed to improve car parking and freeze ticket prices for next year after attendances dropped on three out of four days.

Organisers described “the huge effect that the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is having” as racegoers blamed the downturn on nearby hospitality prices.

Accommodation rates, beer prices in town and waterlogged car parks have been blamed by spectators this week after crowd numbers fell marginally for consecutive years.

Concern is acknowledged by Ian Renton, managing director of Jockey Club Racecourses, who says the UK’s challenging economic conditions are having an impact.

“The Cheltenham Festival remains the pinnacle of jump racing and a marquee event in the sporting and social calendar, but we and all businesses operating in the leisure and hospitality industry know only too well the huge effect that the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is having on consumer behaviour,” he told Telegraph Sport.

Local hotels have been blamed by some, having increased room rates by upwards of 700 per cent on prices at other times of year. Last Sunday, one hotel was quoting a rate of £89 which went up to £779 by Thursday night.

Crowd trends have changed starkly since 2022, when Telegraph Sport revealed how organisers were toying with extending the event to five days. A post-Covid bump that year saw record interest in the event, with Cheltenham eventually announcing a limit on crowds after spectators claimed the concourses were too busy. But since those record highs, the last two years have seen back-to-back gradual falls on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Thursday’s St Patrick’s Day saw numbers dip to 53,918 – a fall of more than 7,000 on last year’s attendance of 61,451 on the same day. Tuesday was marginally below last year’s figures of 60,321. Wednesday’s numbers dipped from 50,387 last year to 46,771 this year. Friday restored some sense of normality as the festival’s Gold Cup day crescendo was a 68,500 sell out.

“Whilst we’ve seen slightly lower numbers in terms of general admission this week, hospitality sales continue to go from strength to strength,” Renton said, before promising to avoid any early bird price increases for next year. “We want to ensure we are accessible at a variety of price points. Tickets started from £37 when first on sale last March, a price which will be held when 2025 tickets go on sale on Monday.”

However, after a week in which Cheltenham was accused of not being “nimble” in responding to the wet weather causing chaos in the car parks, Renton says lessons will be learned.

“We will begin our usual wash-up process for all aspects of the Festival in the coming weeks, including looking at effective solutions to improve our car parking facilities, in order to ensure we continue to provide enjoyable and memorable experiences for our loyal racegoers and those who may be coming racing for the first time.”

As well as potentially improving the car park after tractors were left with their work cut out rescuing stranded motorists on the Tuesday, spectators would also like to see the return of bars taking cash.

“It’s absolutely mad that you can win big at the bookies and then not be able to spend your cash on the bar,” said Mark Bryan, 48, from Macclesfield. “Cheltenham is shooting itself in the foot.”

Craig Braithwaite, 60, from the New Forest, added that local businesses should take the blame for putting some racegoers off this year. “Last night, in town I paid £20 for two drinks,” he said. “And our hotel room for two nights: £530. It’s gone too far this year.”

Earlier this week, ITV commentator Richard Hoiles launched an outspoken attack on organisers for failing to respond quick enough to heavy rain. Drivers were left battling mud-bath grass areas for around two hours on Tuesday. 

Then, on Wednesday, a pre-planned 8am inspection prompted the cancellation of the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase due to water not draining sufficiently.

“We need to be more nimble,” said Hoiles as he reflected on the situation during a discussion with host Ed Chamberlin on ITV Sport’s Cheltenham coverage.

Any drops in attendance throughout the week is a concern for Jockey Club accountants, with one senior industry source telling Telegraph Sport that projected profits for this meeting could potentially halve if crowds prove to be down by as much as 7,000.