New Year's Day at Cheltenham: A Glorious Start to 2026

There are days that creep upon us, timid and apologetic, and there are days that arrive with a trumpet call. New Year’s Day at Cheltenham Racecourse belongs firmly to the latter. Whether you rang out the old year with corks popping and shoes dancing long past midnight, or with a glass of something civilised, there is no finer way to greet 2026 than the thunder of hooves beneath Cleeve Hill.

For the New Year’s Eve party-goer, Cheltenham is the ultimate cure. Forget aspirin and apologies, all you need is fresh air that clears the head, racing that quickens the heart, and seven fiercely competitive contests to remind you that life, like jumping, is best taken head-on. For those who woke refreshed and righteous, it is simply a glorious continuation of celebration and a golden reward for restraint.

The racing is what Cheltenham does best. Seven fiercely competitive contests, peppered with Graded and Listed quality, provide clues and murmurs for the spring festivals to come. 

Yet Cheltenham on New Year’s Day is more than sport, it's a big racing family gathering where the racecourse hums with music and merriment. In the Guinness Village, Cheltenham favourites LAMPA play before racing, between races and long after the last, filling the day with Irish classics and crowd-pleasing hits. It is the soundtrack to laughter, resolutions and raised glasses. Over in the Tattersalls Sales Arena, Richard James keeps spirits lifted between races before turning up the volume post-racing with a feel-good set guaranteed to warm even the chilliest January toes. And as dusk settles, the Centaur opens its doors to Tommy and The Fuse, whose acoustic melodies wrap the day in warmth and goodwill.

For families, New Year’s Day at Cheltenham is a place of genuine delight. The Family Fun Zone buzzes with laughter and colour: Phil The Elf’s Christmas Show brings giggles, magic, snow and a dash of mayhem; Party Peeps host interactive shows and an end-of-day disco; while face painting, glitter tattoos, inflatables, walking pet balloons, arts and crafts and more ensure young imaginations never rest.

For children over nine, there’s mini golf, VR equicisers, a rodeo rugby ball challenge and a treasure trove of arcade games.

​Best of all, under 18s go free.

So come as you are, weary-eyed or well-rested. New Year’s Day racing at Cheltenham is not simply a fixture, it's a tradition, a tonic and a gathering of optimism, a celebration of sport, friends and family, and a reminder that the best way to begin a new year is not quietly, but gloriously.

For tickets and info, please visit - www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/new-years-day

​In partnership with Cheltenham Racecourse and The Jockey Club
www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham