Cheltenham Festival organisers have decided to lower the price of a pint of Guinness in a bid to increase crowds.
The number of punters attending the festival has fallen to worryingly low levels in recent years, with chiefs now trying to win back racegoers.
218,839 people flocked to Prestbury Park this year, a decrease of more than 10,000 on the previous year when just south of 230,000 attended.
The Wednesday saw just 41,949 come through the gates – the lowest crowd figure for a single day in a quarter of a century.
Punters have blamed the staggering costs of attending and enjoying Cheltenham as the main contributors to their decisions not to attend, with the price of a pint climbing to near the £8 mark.
Organisers have however now launched a bid to improve festival-goers’ race-day experience, spearheaded by Cheltenham chief executive Guy Lavender.
The price of a Guinness is set to be decreased by 30p next year from £7.80 to £7.50 in a move which will restore the popular alcoholic drink to its 2022 price.
Explaining his decision, former MCC chairman Lavender said: ‘The price of a pint of Guinness is a peculiarly emotive issue for many people, but it’s important.
‘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.
‘Rather than put their 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’ll be well received.’
The festival have also made an effort to improve the facilities at the famous venue this off-season ahead of 2026.
More than £1million has been spent on upgrades made to car parking areas and bars in the main grandstand. Wednesday of next year’s festival has also been rebranded as Ladies’ Day.
A new PA system has been installed as well as improvements made to broadcasting facilities.
Lavender added: ‘Cheltenham is the jewel in the crown of jump racing and we want racegoers to feel they are stepping into somewhere truly special from the moment that they arrive.
‘The changes announced today mark another meaningful step forward, but it is always important to listen to your customers and evolve, and I can guarantee that there will be further changes for 2027.’
Cheltenham will next go ahead on Tuesday March 10 next year.
