Cheltenham Festival attendances over the years

Are you interested in how many people attend Cheltenham Festival? Or perhaps just how many people tune in from home? Discover Cheltenham attendances, here.

Cheltenham Festival ranks among the most prestigious events on the UK horse racing calendar – drawing thousands upon thousands of fans to Prestbury Park each year and capturing the attention of hundreds of thousands more at home. But just how many people travel to see the action unfold each year? We’ve dug into the data to reveal the attendance stats over the last few years.

How many people attend Cheltenham Festival?

Over the last 10 editions where fans were admitted – 2021 was a ‘behind closed doors’ week – Cheltenham Festival has seen an average 251,960 fans walk through the turnstiles.

This peaked in 2022, with racing enthusiasts clearly desperate for a glimpse of in-person action after a year off. Meanwhile, the lowest attendances were actually recorded at last year’s event. 

Of course, with this year’s Cheltenham Festival set to be as exciting as ever, pitting some of the greatest jump horses of the modern age against one another, we can expect 2026 attendances to grow on 2025 numbers.

And this isn’t unfounded expectation! It’s supported by the strength in crowds that have been pouring into other National Hunt events this season, so far; with Cheltenham’s own New Year’s Day race receiving a record 44,151 fans, while the likes of Aintree and Kempton also saw strong numbers.

A breakdown of Cheltenham attendance by day

We’ve reviewed the overall Cheltenham attendances over the years, but what about a day-by-day breakdown?

Cheltenham day 1 attendances

Cheltenham day 1 crowds are treated to the first race of the festival week – the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – which is always accompanied by the famous Cheltenham roar. The main event of the day, though, has to be the esteemed Champion Hurdle. Curiously, last year saw a 7.8 per cent decrease in people visiting for the day. 

Cheltenham day 2 attendances

Crowds visiting Cheltenham for day 2 look especially forward to the Champion Hurdle and Champion Bumper – the latter of which is often a hotbed of new talent. While last year saw around 5,000 fewer attendees than the year before, we should expect improved interested this time around.

Cheltenham day 3 attendances

As we get into the second half of festival week, Cheltenham day 3 attendances in 2025 were relatively consistent with 2024 – both around 53,000. 

Cheltenham day 4 attendances

So, how many people attend the Cheltenham Gold Cup? Well, around 68,000 last year! This figure has remained steadily consistent for the last few years, with a similar number expected for the 2026 turnout. 

How many people watch the Cheltenham Festival at home?

Of course, not everyone can be fortunate enough to make it to Cheltenham to watch the drama unfold in person. Thankfully, many of the races are available to view in the comfort of your own home, with audience data suggesting millions tune in over the four days.

Notably, a staggering 1.8 million people turned on the telly to watch Inothewayurthinkin storm a win in the 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup, while 20 races across the full week earned at least a million viewers. Naturally, many at home also enjoy an accompanying wager on their favourite horse – so why not get involved yourself and explore our guide to betting on the Cheltenham Festival? Alternatively, discover even more insights over on our Cheltenham blog.