Essential Guide To The Cheltenham Festival 2026

Cheltenham Festival Tipster Competition

We are running our annual Cheltenham Festival tipster competition with a total cash prize fund of £1,500 and over 100 prizes.

The winner will receive a massive £500 cash prize, there's £200 for 2nd, £100 for 3rd to 5th, plus 100 prizes of £5.

Lurpak11 won the 2025 tipster competition, scooping themselves the £500 top prize, could they possibly win back-to-back competitions?

The competition is FREE TO ENTER, just enter your tips in the normal fashion on the make-a-tip menu for the races.

To be in with a chance of landing one of the prizes you must fulfill the following criteria:

• Place 20 or more tips
• 5 or more of those must be profitable
• Each tip must contain 20 or more words
• You must finish with a profit

Then, during the four-day festival, you can head over to the tipster competition table to keep track of where you stand throughout the week.

The Schedule - Tuesday

Cheltenham Festival races for Tuesday 10th March 2026

Prepare for the ROAR of the Cheltenham Festival on the opening day when the tape goes up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle, the feature on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle.

The Schedule - Wednesday

Cheltenham Festival races for Wednesday 11th March 2026

The dust has settled on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and now on to day two. The feature on the second day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. We also have the cross country scheduled on Wednesday, a race like Marmite, some love it and some don't!

The Schedule - Thursday

Halfway through the festival and onto day three where the Stayers Hurdle is the feature race. A hurdle race to test the stamina and see how can last best up the Cheltenham hill.

The Schedule - Friday

Cheltenham Festival races for Friday 13th March 2026

The final day of the festival and feature race that we have all been waiting for, the Cheltenham Gold Cup in which the Irish have been fairly dominant in recent years.

Cheltenham Festival - By Car

Cheltenham Racecourse advises people to follow the signs when close to the racecourse which will guide you to the pick-up & drop-off areas, this is at the West Car Park which is a five-minute walk from the entrances.

Cheltenham Racecourse member Jennywales says the routes to the car parks have changed slightly and whilst at first, it may appear you've entered a cross-country rally, follow the signs for your designated area. 

The Cheltenham website gives full details on the car parking arrangements.

• Those with prepaid parking at the course can view the various coded areas here - Parking
• Constantly updated travel map for the Cheltenham area. Travel Map
• Any accidents and appropriate diversions are reported here by Gloucestershire Police Road Incident Updates

There will be delays and diversions near the M5 to the north of Cheltenham between Tewkesbury and Worcester during the festival week. This website - Roadworks.org - displays all current and planned roadworks for the area and offers an email update facility.

Several places close to the track offer parking for the day. For example, parking and refreshments are available at Southam Village Hall, within a short walk of the racecourse. Check local press and social media for other similar offers.

Cheltenham Festival - By Train

OLBG stalwart Nors advises anyone travelling via Birmingham to arrive there early as queues are potentially very long.

Taxis from Cheltenham Spa train station to the racecourse take approximately ten minutes.

Anyone intending to use a bus between the station and the racecourse should read the relevant “By Bus“ section below.

Arrivals boards with the facility to receive disruption alerts - Just click the name of the relevant station.

• Birmingham New Street
• Cheltenham Spa
• Bristol Temple Meads

Cheltenham Festival - By Bus

To Cheltenham National Express offer a Cheltenham Festival service, arriving at the course well before the first race and leaving after the racing finishes.

Click this link - National Express Cheltenham booking page - and use the drop-down menus on the left

In Cheltenham Stagecoach offers a bus service during the Festival, with pickups in the town centre and en route.

Details can be found here: Stagecoach Festival Bus Service

Cheltenham Festival - At The Course

Cheltenham has updated its racecourse map specifically for the festival and it can be viewed here: Cheltenham Racecourse Map

Most, if not all of us, will be aware of the significant changes to the course and grandstands.

Cheltenham Racecourse and The Jockey Club have invested millions in improving facilities and if this is your first visit to the track this season then take a few minutes to view the above map and also images online and on social media websites.

OLBG's Jennywales mentions the Tapas Bar ( formerly Hurdler's Hall ), which could be fun if the weather changes!

And if you like to fill out your placepots slips next to a statue of your favourite Cheltenham legend then a few of these have been relocated: it seems Arkle was bored and has now moved to the second tier at the head of the parade ring ( also improved with a new concourse at its entrance )

Luggage or bags can be deposited at the Left Luggage facility, #12 bottom left of the map in the North Car Park. 

The first thing I do after arriving at the course is to make my way to the stands next to the finish line and look out across Prestbury Park towards Cleeve Hill. 

The view is spectacular yet also feels like an artist might when looking upon a blank canvas or a writer on a blank page "The possibilities yet to unfold, what drama awaits. 

This is where I stand when the tape goes up for the festival opener, the Supreme Novices Hurdle. However, as you can see below, it can get rather busy so get there early!

The advice from many OLBG members is to get these done early. 

Placepots and any accumulators or Lucky 15's can be placed at several locations, with the Centaur building being a popular and thus busy location.

OLBG is the ideal place for betting tips and useful information when selecting a horse for any of the 28 races during the week. 

Place Your Bets!

Read the blogs and tipping advice,

Take advantage of the bookmaker offers by accessing the relevant sections from the menus at the top of the page or visit the dedicated site for the Cheltenham Festival.

Cheltenham Festival - Places to Eat

Highest Rated Restaurants Within A 5-Mile Radius Of Cheltenham Racecourse

When the busy Cheltenham festival is in full swing, there is a high likelihood of working up an appetite. After you have cheered on a potential winner or two at the racecourse, it is time for a spot of dinner.

With that in mind, we have looked at the Top 20 restaurants within the Cheltenham area as rated by Trip Advisor. Will any of these take your fancy?

Cheltenham Festival - Local Pubs

Cheltenham Pubs That Offer Live Sport

Not only is there the opportunity to eat some of the finest food in Cheltenham, but there is also plenty of opportunity to frequent some of Cheltenham’s best pubs. Then again, why stop there? You could even venture to some less salubrious venues with their being a total of 88 to choose from.

A definitive list that you can find below and for those looking for additional live sport and/or some quick pub grub, we also have you covered with this definitive list.