Preparations well underway for an enjoyable Cheltenham Festival 2026

The annual horse racing festival, often referred to as the Olympics of the National Hunt season, puts the national spotlight on the town over the four-day event (March 10 - 13) and racegoers are being reminded to be respectful.

While the vast majority do enjoy the town respectfully, we know some racegoers don’t and this impacts on residents, people working in the town and other racegoers.

A range of measures are being implemented by multi-agency partners this year to help combat anti-social behaviour and help make Cheltenham as safe as possible. These include:

• ‘Keep it Clean,’ ‘War on Wee,’ ‘Ask for Angela’ and ‘Love our Turf’ campaigns.
• Extra temporary toilets in and around the town.
• Increased police presence including the police community hub on the High Street outside Marks and Spencer as well as mounted police on all four evenings.
• Dedicated council officers and stewards from the racecourse located throughout the town at key times to assist with crowd control.
• Support from voluntary sector partners in the evening and night-time economy making sure people are safe.
• Taxi marshals on duty for the Montpellier and Promenade taxi ranks.
• Cleaning operation focused on street cleanliness especially at known hotspots throughout town.  

Cllr Victoria Atherstone, cabinet member for safety and communities, said: “The March festival is an incredibly important occasion for Cheltenham, and we’re pleased to once again warmly welcome racegoers and visitors to our town.

“During race week, we’ll continue our efforts to help keep Cheltenham clean and welcoming while addressing key issues such as illegal taxi activity and anti-social behaviour.

“Keeping women and girls safe remains a central focus. Licensed venues are supporting the ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative to ensure anyone who feels unsafe or vulnerable can access help quickly and discreetly. Gloucestershire Police will also be carrying out operation vigilant which involves a mix of plain clothed and uniformed officers identifying individuals displaying signs of predatory behaviour.”

The No Child Left Behind Youth Café at Smokey Joe’s on Bennington Street is a safe haven for young people and is open on March 11, 12 and 13.

Superintendent James Glansfield, from the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Local Policing Area, added: “We are working alongside partner agencies and Cheltenham Racecourse in planning for the event.

“Officers will be taking part in additional patrols, during both the day and night, as our main aim is to ensure that racegoers and those living in Cheltenham are able to enjoy themselves but are also responsible and stay safe and I’d like to ask those attending to please keep this in mind.

“I’d like to encourage anyone with serious concerns to report these to an officer or call 101; any emergencies should be reported by calling 999, this includes incidents where there’s a threat to life, risk of harm, a crime is in progress, or offenders are nearby.”

Andre Klein, assistant general manager of Cheltenham Racecourse, said: “The Cheltenham Festival is an incredible occasion that sees Cheltenham become the centre of the sporting world for four days each March. At the racecourse, we are committed to ensuring the Festival is an enjoyable and safe event for our local residents as well as our racegoers.

“By working closely with our local partners, our ‘Love our Turf’ campaign will return once again to help ensure that racegoers heading into town have a positive experience while minimising disruption to local residents. We want the Cheltenham Festival to be an event we can all be proud to host as we welcome thousands of visitors to this great town.”

Keeping traffic moving

This year, Arle Court Transport Hub will be running a park and ride bus to the racecourse and visitors arriving into Cheltenham Spa Train Station have the option of taking shuttles buses through to the venue. To help plan in advance do check what traffic orders may be in place across the county by visiting Gloucestershire County Council’s Highways or view current road closures due to flooding. Visitors can also follow @glosroads on social media.

Night-time economy

Council officers will be proactively visiting licensed bars, clubs and other licensed premises to ensure they comply with their licence conditions, check on SIA (Security Industry Authority) accredited door staff and deal with any issues which may arise with these venues during the week. We will continue to work with the police in monitoring the licensed sexual entertainment venues and any venues that provide such entertainment on an unlicensed basis using the “infrequent legal loophole”.

Plan in advance

Cheltenham has a wide and extensive range of bars, cafes, restaurants and entertainment venues. Visitors are encouraged to plan ahead by using the Visit Cheltenham festival guide. You can also check The Jockey Club and their social media channels.

ENDS

For media enquiries, contact: communications, telephone 01242 264231, email [email protected]

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Notes to editors

• Keep it Clean campaign: Public awareness campaign aimed at encouraging racegoers to respect town by putting rubbish, leaflets and flyers in a bin
• War on Wee: Public information campaign encouraging racegoers to utilise additional toilet provision and not urinate on streets, parks or other public places
• Ask for Angela: Public safety campaign whereby women can seek support from staff of venues if they feel vulnerable or unsafe by ‘Asking for Angela’
• Love our Turf campaign: Public awareness campaign to remind racegoers of social responsibility they have in being a respectful citizen.