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Excitement builds for upcoming May Festival

Horse Racing | Press Article 20/05/25

  • Goodwood Racecourse gallops towards another Bank Holiday full of racing action at May Festival on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 May.
  • Award-winning seafood restaurant Crabshack will be serving up a feast in the Double Trigger Restaurant.
  • Tickets still available at Goodwood.com.

Goodwood Racecourse gallops towards another Bank Holiday full of racing action, summer fashion and a fantastic day out at the world’s most picturesque racecourse with May Festival.

Goodwood’s second racing fixture of the 2026 calendar has a thrilling line-up of competitive horseracing, delicious food and a variety of hospitality options, headlined by three listed races on Friday 23 May and Saturday 24 May.

Whether it be a Classic contender or Group 1 campaigner, a host of high-class horses opt to start the season at May Festival.

Racegoers can enhance their race day experience by booking a three-course meal at the Double Trigger restaurant, where Worthing’s award-winning eatery Crabshack will be serving the very best of Sussex seafood at the May Festival.

Named in honour of the three-time Goodwood Cup winner, Double Trigger, the restaurant is perfectly placed to take advantage of views over the Horse Walk where vibrant pop ups will champion the South Coast’s culinary scene.

Racing fans can also get closer to the action with complimentary trips to the starting stalls for the second, fourth and sixth races.

Gates open from 11.30am, with the first race, the British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes, getting underway at 2.05pm on Friday. The feature fixture of the first day, the BetGoodwin Festival Stakes Listed Race, takes place at 3:50pm.

The Saturday of May Festival is a Premier Raceday, with Listed Races’ British Stallion Studs EBF Cocked Hat Stakes at 2.05pm and the BetGoodwin Height of Fashion Stakes at 3.15pm. Premier Raceday is a new horseracing industry initiative designed to celebrate key fixtures in British Racing’s calendar.

There is an abundance of drinking venues open on the second day of May Festival soaking up the atmosphere with live music; from the Sussex Beer Garden, to the Pimm's and Aperol Bar. If there are still decisions to be made on outfit choices, womenswear partner Phase Eight has curated a Goodwood collection that answers all race-day style questions.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors: 

May Festival takes place Friday 23 and Saturday 24 May.

Tickets

Tickets, dining, and hospitality on sale on the website. Visit Goodwood.com or call 01243 755055 to find out more.

Contact

For more information about Goodwood Racecourse events, please contact Louise Gould, Press Officer: Louise.Gould@Goodwood.com

For all other press enquiries please contact: Media@goodwood.com

Imagery and news from Goodwood are available from our Press & Media site.

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About Goodwood Racecourse
Introduced to the Goodwood Estate in 1802 by the 3rd Duke of Richmond, the Goodwood Racecourse has long been steeped in horseracing heritage. From Lord George Bentinck’s winning horse in the 1836 St Leger, which was transported in secret from Goodwood to Doncaster, to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s horse Love Affair taking its final win, the racecourse has been home to some significant moments in horseracing history. 

Situated on the South Downs and hosting 19 race days from May through October, thousands of racegoers flock to one of the world’s most beautiful racecourses each year to enjoy a season of top-class racing and entertainment. With a varied calendar of fixtures, race day highlights include Three Friday Nights, the May Festival, the Qatar Goodwood Festival presented by Visit Qatar—more affectionately known as Glorious Goodwood—and the Season Finale, to name a few.

The Qatar Goodwood Festival is one of the undisputed highlights of the British flat racing season. The world-famous five-day festival is a sporting and social occasion like no other, unrivalled style, superb racing, and hospitality experiences to savour mean it’s not to be missed. The 2025 Qatar Goodwood Festival takes place from Tuesday 29 July to Saturday 2 August. The week is headed by three Group 1 races, including the £500,000 Qatar Goodwood Cup (2m), the £1 million Qatar Sussex Stakes (1m), and the £600,000 Qatar Nassau Stakes (1m2f).

Tickets, dining, and hospitality are now on sale for all fixtures at Goodwood Racecourse. Visit Goodwood.com or call 01243 755055 to find out more.