When someone suggests a ‘day at the races’, it probably conjures up images of people wearing top hats at Royal Ascot, expensive VIP sections, and champagne bars where you need a second mortgage to buy a glass of fizz.
These big meetings are certainly glamorous affairs, and they’re expensive because of that, but there are plenty of less prestigious family friendly race meetings throughout the year that are just as much fun. Crucially, they are also a fraction of the cost.
Most of us are within easy reach of a racecourse or two, and if you keep it local, a family day at the races is a fantastic and affordable opportunity to enjoy time together in the open air.
Let me explain why.
Smaller Courses Offer Big Value
People who aren’t familiar with racing may not be aware, but the UK is full of racecourses that don’t come with a big price tag. This is because they don’t play host to famous meetings or races, which means prize money is lower and the best horses don’t turn out for them.
But unless you are a serious racing fan, watching a famous horse run past your face is no different than watching a non-famous horse run past your face. For recreational visitors it makes zero difference. The colourful jockey’s silks still look great in the sunlight, the cheer of the crowd is just as exciting, and the majesty of the horses is just as breath taking.
Your experience will be largely the same, but the admission price will be a lot lower. General admission can be as low as £10 for adults at some courses, and often, children go free. It depends on the course and the event, but it’s almost always very affordable.
Racecourses usually pair the racing with other things, like music, or a family fair, that sort of thing. Chester Races do a wonderful family fun day which we have been to in the past. It’s ace! There were fairground rides, activities, walkabout performers, the racing – loads to see and do!
To be clear, not every race day at every course will be a family friendly event. But if you check the website they usually run several around spring and summer that are perfect for the kids. Book in advance for the best prices.
Bring Your Own Everything
One other cost saving element to this is that you can bring your own picnic. There are always food and drink outlets, but you’ll save a fortune bringing your own, and there’s nothing quite like a family picnic, is there?
It also means no long queues full of whingy children. Thank you Mum 💅
You can even pack a cooler with a few alcoholic beverages if you want to and avoid the extortionate bar costs. It’s all very relaxed and allows the kids the freedom to graze (the food, not the booze!) while the adults have one less thing to worry about.
There doesn’t need to be any additional spends at all.
You can make some bets if you like, but you don’t have to. We usually do. It’s all part of the fun for us, but there is no obligation.
I even bring my own bookmaker. My fella prefers to place a few bets using the bookmaker pitches at the course – he thinks it’s more ‘authentic’ 🙄 – but I like staying on the picnic blanket and using a betting app instead. I feel like I get slightly better odds most of the time, too. Another saving.
It’s Not Just For Racing Fans
Horse racing is a relatively new thing for me. We only discovered it a few years ago, but go a few times each summer now.
We are not a horse racing family. I’ve learned a little bit about it since we first started going but I don’t know how to study form or recognise any of the jockeys. We just like the atmosphere on the day. It has festival vibes.
The way we look at it, the racing is only about 25% of the day. The rest is the event itself. Being out in the sun on the grass, playing games, enjoying any other entertainment the course has laid on, and filling our faces with too much picnic food 😁
There are loads of people milling about, you usually get chatting to someone, and it’s something a little bit different. Getting up close with the horses is a bit of a thrill, especially for the kids, and watching them race is brilliant – you don’t realise how fast they are going from watching on the telly. You can feel the ground shake.
So if you’ve never considered a day at the races before I would thoroughly recommend it. You don’t need to shell out Grand National amounts of money at a local racecourse, and you might just find it’s one of the best days out your family has all summer.