Racecourse Annual Attendances Top 5 Million for First Time Since 2019

5,031,640 people visited a British racecourse in 2025, an increase of 4.8% on year-on-year figures, consolidating a period of growth for the sport. The figure also represents the first time the sport has welcomed 5m spectators since 2019.

Official figures submitted to the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) and analysed by the Racecourse Association (RCA) demonstrate that as well as the total attendance increase, the average attendance also improved to 3,526 from 3,404, a welcome rise of 3.58%.

2025 Total Attendance Snapshot

	Total Attendance	Average Attendance	Fixtures Run	Abandonments
2025	5,031,640	3,526	1,427	47
2024	4,799,730	3,404	1,410	77
2023	4,833,944	3,392	1,425	105

 

Racecourses across Britain have worked tirelessly throughout the year to implement marketing and experience initiatives to drive the growth, many of which were promoted as best practice through the RCA’s Showcase & Awards programme and monthly On Track feature articles. These include, but are not limited to: value-driven advance pricing windows, investment into themed events to promote a customer experience, community-first offers to reward the local fan and high-profile collaborations to target specific audiences (such as Invades x students).

Central stakeholders also provided invaluable support to assist growth through a number of long-term programmes linked to the collective Industry Strategy, including the national marketing campaign The Going Is Good, the major consumer insight study Project Beacon and the central customer data analytical tool the Data Insight Programme.

Piloted in 2022 and introduced fully in 2023, attendance returns also include the request for an accurate count regarding the number of under 18s visiting a British racecourse. Whilst free of charge at the majority of fixtures, racecourses are able to allocate tickets to youngsters if pre-booked or conduct a manual count on the gate for walk-ups. The 2025 under 18 count was 211,447, an increase of 17% from 2024, although the figure is likely on the conservative side as more racecourses begin to include the count in their returns.

The 2025 flat season proved popular with the racegoing public, with 3,100,692 enjoying some of the sport’s most iconic events. This represents an increase of 4.9% from 2024, with average attendances at fixtures also seeing a healthy increase to 3,472 (from 3,304). The total number of fixtures staged was almost identical (893 in 2025, 894 in 2024), demonstrating a clear increase in consumer demand. A number of the code’s flagship fixtures performed exceptionally well in year-on-year comparisons, including Royal Ascot (+4.8%), Newmarket’s Debenhams July Festival (+5.9%), the Qatar Goodwood Festival (+11%), York’s Skybet Ebor Festival (+2.9%), Ladies Day at Beverley, presented by Porsche Hull (+9.2%), Doncaster’s Betfred St Leger Festival (+4.7%) and the Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup Festival (+4.4%).

Jump racing also saw an increase to attendance with 1,924,231 racegoers in 2025, an increase of 4.5% from 2024. Average attendances also grew year-on-year to 3,610, an increase of 1.04%. 2025 saw more fixtures staged than in 2024 largely due to the significant number of weather-related abandonments in January/February 2024 which did not occur last year.  The Randox Health Grand National Festival at Aintree (+4.1%), Uttoxeter’s Summer Cup Day (+20%) and the performance of multiple jumps fixtures in the fourth quarter (detailed below) aided this growth.

As is customary in British racing, Saturdays were the feature day of the 2025 fixture list with an average of five fixtures taking place on this day throughout the year. Saturday attendance in 2025 was 1,907,999, an increase of 8.2% from 2024 (1,762,624). This figure is taken from the 282 Saturday fixtures staged, an increase of 272 from 2024 after abandonments, providing an average attendance of 6,766 (a 4.4% increase from 2024).

2025 Fourth Quarter (Q4) Review

The festive feast of racing sparked strong customer demand in December 2025. 331,405 racegoers visited a British racecourse in the month alone, an 8.6% increase on 2024. Ascot’s Showcase Award-winning Howden Christmas Saturday saw a 6.2% increase, with 20,659 guests enjoying the festive fun.

Aided by a day clear of other sporting action, notably the traditional festive football calendar, racecourses capitalised on Boxing Day to welcome bumper crowds. Kempton Park’s Ladbrokes Christmas Festival saw attendances of 17,195 and 8,715 across the two days, increases of 24% and 22% year-on-year respectively and Aintree’s Boxing Day fixture saw a 35.5% increase to 8,972. Chepstow’s iconic Coral Welsh Grand National fixture welcomed 9,425 spectators, an 11% rise from 2024. Newbury’s Challow Novices’ Hurdle Day saw the Berkshire track hit its second-highest attendance for the fixture in 35 years with 11,240 in attendance, completing an exceptional year for the racecourse with attendances overall rising 25% from 2024.

Another clear highlight of the quarter was Qipco British Champions Day, the finale of the British flat turf season. The marquee event saw 31,257 racegoers (+7.7%) relish the packed card, including five Group 1 races for a total of £4.35m in prize money.

The total attendance for the fourth quarter of 2025 was 922,346 across 335 fixtures, an increase of 4.6% to the totals from 2024. The average attendance at these fixtures was 2,753, an increase of 4.32%, again showing positive trends for the sport to build on into 2026.

2025 Q4 Snapshot

	Total Attendance	Average Attendance	Fixtures Run	Abandonments
2025	922,346	2,753	335	9
2024	881,308	2,639	334	13
2023	780,176	2,566	304	59

 

Kevin Walsh, RCA Racing Director, commented: “I am pleased to see the 2025 annual attendance figures confirm what anecdotal and visual evidence suggested across the year; racecourse attendance has been growing. I am particularly heartened to see that the racing product itself and the thrill of a day at the races remains so popular with customers at a time when we are competing more than ever with other sports and industries.

“It is important for us to try and understand why attendances performed so well in 2025 and what we can do to assist racecourses in maintaining this momentum. Racecourses deserve a lot of credit for understanding consumer drivers and implementing attractive, effective marketing campaigns to communicate the excellent value on offer for a day at the races.

“These figures represent a good year but are by no means the end goal. The sport has invested heavily in central support programmes to enable racecourses to continue to build strong relationships with customers and hopefully reiterate our sport’s enduring association with the British public.”