Record crowd for New Year’s Day Cheltenham meeting

For the first time in its New Year’s Day fixture, Cheltenham Racecourse sold out in front of a record crowd of over 44, 000.

The total attendance for the track’s seven-race schedule was 44, 151, surpassing the previous best New Year’s Day crowd of 38, 374 set in 2023.

Additionally, it is higher than the 41, 949 participants who the Cheltenham Festival’s Wednesday, 2025, attracted.

Only at events like the Cheltenham Festival can the track’s capacity exceed that of its temporary structures, which will increase its facilities.

“As a meeting on New Year’s Day, which has experienced significant growth in recent years, and due to the absence of the full-scale village, reaching that ceiling is a fantastic achievement,” said Cheltenham’s chief executive, Guy Lavender.

With over 5, 000 kids attending the track, thousands of young people, members of the local community, and our devoted racing fans, it’s wonderful to start the year off on a positive note.