The Cheltenham Festival is the biggest event in the National Hunt racing calendar and is widely known as “the greatest show on turf”.
Each March, the sport’s biggest names from Britain, Ireland and beyond gather at Cheltenham Racecourse for four days of elite jump racing, with millions of fans tuning in around the world to watch the action unfold.
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Cheltenham Festival 2026 dates
The 2026 Cheltenham Festival will run from Tuesday 10 March to Friday 13 March.
The opening day is known as Champion Day, headlined by the prestigious Champion Hurdle. Day two is Ladies Day on Wednesday 11 March, followed by St Patrick’s Thursday on day three. The meeting concludes with Gold Cup Day on Friday, when the Cheltenham Gold Cup takes centre stage.
Cheltenham Festival race times
Each day of the Cheltenham Festival features seven races.
The first race is scheduled to start at 1.20pm (UK time), with the final race taking place at 5.20pm. The feature contest on each day is considered a championship race and takes place at 4pm, serving as the fifth race on the card.
How to watch the Cheltenham Festival in the UK
TV coverage
ITV provides free to air coverage of the Cheltenham Festival. The broadcast on ITV1 begins at 12.45pm and runs until 5pm, meaning the final race of each day is not shown on the channel. All seven races can be watched live on Racing TV, available on Sky channel 424 and Virgin Media channel 536.
Streaming
Fans can also stream the races through ITVX, while full coverage is available online via the Racing TV website and mobile app.