Organizers of the Cheltenham Festival, one of the UK's most prestigious horse racing meetings, have announced that 226,223 racegoers attended the four-day event, marking a 3.7% increase compared to the 2018,093 secured last year.
The figure, which saw 8,130 extra tickets sold over March 10 to 13, reversed a four-year decline, resulting in a decrease of more than 60,000 since the post-Covid festival of 2022.
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Overall, attendance on the first day increased by 4.5% to 54,762, while the second day saw a 10.4% increase to 41,949. The third day welcomed 55,648 racegoers – a 4.3% rise on the previous edition.
However, there was a slight dip in crowds on the final afternoon, with 67,016 attending compared to last year’s 68,020.
Meanwhile, UK commercial broadcaster ITV has revealed that its coverage of this year’s event drew a total average audience of 775,000 across the four-day event, while the total peak audience was 4.65 million.
Broken down, viewership grew across the four days, with Tuesday’s opening day averaging 753,000 and peaking at 1.125 million.
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By GlobalDataWednesday averaged 760,000 and peaked at 1.027 million, while Thursday saw an average of 776,000 tune in to ITV’s coverage, before peaking at 1.025 million.
Friday’s Gold Cup, meanwhile, drew ITV’s highest average audience and peak audience of this year’s edition, securing 811,000 and 1.473 million, respectively.
Friday’s peak viewership was shy of the 1.8 million ITV secured for its coverage of last year’s final day – ITV’s biggest peak audience in four years for the final day.
The figures mark a significant decrease in the viewership secured by ITV in 2024, which saw total average across the week hit 953,000, while the 2023 edition averaged 941,000.
ITV holds exclusive UK free-to-air rights for the Cheltenham Festival until the end of 2030 as part of a wider deal that also covers flagship events such as the Grand National, Royal Ascot, and the Derby.
As part of its rights package, it also shows the morning magazine show The Opening Show, with a minimum of five races shown from the main course at each ITV4 fixture.
Yesterday, the Jockey Club unveiled details of a deal with its catering partner Compass, which will unlock £100 million in funds for the group to invest in its racecourses.
The Jockey Club runs 15 courses across the UK, including those that host Cheltenham, Aintree, and Epson, and the projects the deal will fund will be rolled out over the next five years.
For Cheltenham, the rebuilding of the weighing room complex will transform the facilities for participants, as well as create significant hospitality areas on the first floor and on a rooftop garden terrace.
The ageing main grandstand will receive "significant upgrades" in all of its course-facing areas, while the Centaur and Gold Cup Suite will both receive investment along with hospitality facilities.
