9–10Oct 2026
Dubai Future Champions Festival
The best two-year-olds in Europe: the Fillies’ Mile on Friday and the Dewhurst Stakes on Saturday.
Tickets
Meetings and tickets for 2026/27
Newmarket races from April to early November. Here are the remaining big meetings of 2026 and the headline festivals of 2027.
Newmarket fixturesSeason 2026/27
30–31Oct 2026
The Final Meeting
Newmarket’s last meeting of the season on the Rowley Mile.
30–2May 2027
Betfred Guineas Festival
The first Classics of the season, the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas, over the Rowley Mile.
From (2026)£10
Tickets
14–15May 2027
The Spring Meeting
A two-day spring meeting.
From (2026)£18
Tickets
8–10Jul 2027
The July Festival
Three days of summer racing on the July Course, featuring the July Cup, one of the world’s great sprints.
Early bird (2026)£17
Tickets
Newmarket Nights, summer evening racing followed by concerts, run from June to August on the July Course; the 2027 line-up is announced in the spring.
Serious racing
The Guineas Festival or the Future Champions Festival, where next year’s stars appear.
A summer day out
The July Festival on the July Course.
Racing and a concert
Newmarket Nights in the summer.
A quieter visit
The Final Meeting at the end of October.
Which enclosure should you choose?
Ticket types vary by meeting. In 2026 a Summer Saturday on the July Course cost £30 in the Premier, £22 in the Grandstand & Paddock and £15 in the Garden Enclosure; the Rowley Mile also has The Rowley, a new trackside enclosure for 2026. There is no formal dress code: come dressed to feel your best.
Premium
Premier Enclosure
The best views and facilities, with its own entrance by the Annual Badge Holders’ car park.
All-rounder
Grandstand & Paddock
The main public enclosure, with trackside viewing and bars. The free shuttle bus stops right outside its entrance at the Rowley Mile.
Relaxed
Garden Enclosure
The most relaxed option: bring a picnic, chairs, tables and blankets. Most of the racing is watched on big screens, and there’s no Parade Ring access.
Compare every enclosure side by side: prices, views, bars and food, dress codes and entrances.
Two courses
The Rowley Mile hosts spring and autumn racing, including the Guineas and the Future Champions Festival. The July Course, next door, hosts summer racing, the July Festival and Newmarket Nights. Check which course your meeting is on before you set off.
Dress code at Newmarket Racecourses
Newmarket encourages racegoers to choose clothes that feel comfortable rather than follow a formal outfit formula. Its current style guidance explicitly accepts tailored shorts, trainers and polo tops, alongside jeans and sweatshirts. Suits and dresses remain an option for visitors who want to dress up. The course asks guests not to wear sports team kits, and offensive or inappropriate fancy dress can lead to refusal of entry. Pack for exposed outdoor areas and check any instructions included with a hospitality booking.
Official clothing advice — checked 14 October 2026.
What will the trip cost?
A quick estimate for your group. Where we have confirmed a ticket price it’s filled in; otherwise add the price from the racecourse’s booking page. Change any figure to match your plans.
Getting to Newmarket
Newmarket is in Suffolk, near Cambridge. The racecourses are a couple of miles out of town, and a free shuttle bus runs on racedays.
Free shuttle bus
Runs from Newmarket station and the town centre to the racecourse from two hours before the first race until the first race, and back from about 45 minutes before the last race for up to two hours. No need to book. It gets very busy at festivals and Newmarket Nights.
Outrider coaches
Coaches run on selected racedays from Cambridge, Royston, Bury St Edmunds and Ely. Book ahead, as they sell out; bookings close 48 hours before the meeting.
By car
For the July Course (CB8 0XE), leave the A11 and follow signs to the July Racecourse. Avoid Newmarket High Street on racedays, and allow up to two hours to leave the car parks after big meetings.
Taxis
At the July Course, private hire cars and minibuses use the pickup and drop-off area reached through Gate 2 and leave through Gate 3. At the Rowley Mile, the pickup point is outside the Premier Entrance by the Annual Badge Holders’ car park.
Parking at Newmarket Racecourses
Public parking is free at both Newmarket racecourses, but make sure you travel to the course hosting your fixture. The Rowley Mile postcode is CB8 0TF and the July Course postcode is CB8 0XE. Both have official parking maps. The racecourse advises avoiding Newmarket High Street on racedays and warns that leaving after busy festivals or Newmarket Nights can take up to two hours. At the July Course, roadside verge parking is prohibited; follow the directed route into the official car parks.
Official parking advice — checked 14 October 2026.
Coming by train?
Book trains to Newmarket, or to Cambridge for the Outrider coach.
Hotels near Newmarket Racecourses
Newmarket is a small town, so the best-placed rooms book up early for the Guineas and the July Festival. Stay in town for the free raceday shuttle, in a country inn a few miles out, or in Cambridge with its bigger choice.
Festival weekends
Rooms in and around Newmarket go quickly for the Guineas Festival in May and the July Festival. Book as soon as you have your tickets.
In Newmarket
Walk to the High Street shuttle stop, or take a short taxi to the course.
- Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa, Bury Road. A four-star country house hotel with a spa, set in three acres between two training yards; about a 10-minute drive from the Rowley Mile
- The Rutland Arms, 33 High Street. A Georgian coaching inn in the middle of town, a few minutes’ walk from the free shuttle
- Best Western Heath Court Hotel, Moulton Road, on the edge of the town centre
- Premier Inn Newmarket, Fred Archer Way. A budget option on the edge of town
- The Jockey Club Rooms, 101 High Street. The historic home of the Jockey Club, with bedrooms for guests
Country inns nearby
A short drive or taxi from the course.
- The Packhorse Inn, Bridge Street, Moulton. A stylish village inn with rooms and a well-regarded restaurant; dogs welcome
- The Three Blackbirds, Ditton Green, Woodditton. A village inn just south of Newmarket
- Tuddenham Mill, Tuddenham. A boutique hotel in a converted watermill, about a 17-minute drive from the course
Cambridge
A bigger choice of hotels, a short journey away.
- Cambridge, with Outrider coaches from the station on selected racedays
Suffolk
Quieter options.
- Bury St Edmunds, with Outrider coaches on selected racedays
Find a hotel
Compare hotels in Newmarket, Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds.
Affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.
Evenings in Newmarket
Newmarket is quiet in the evenings except on Newmarket Nights, when racing is followed by a concert. For dinner, the best options are in the town and the villages around it.
- After racing
Newmarket Nights
On summer Friday evenings and selected Saturdays the July Course stages racing followed by a live concert, so the evening is the event. Under-18s pay full price on these nights.
- Dinner
The Packhorse Inn, Moulton
A village pub with modern European cooking and rooms, overlooking the green in Moulton.
- Dinner
Tuddenham Mill
A restaurant in a converted watermill, worth the short drive for a special evening.
- Drinks
The Three Blackbirds, Woodditton
A village pub with rooms in Woodditton, just south of Newmarket.
- In town
Newmarket High Street
The Rutland Arms and the other High Street pubs are a short walk from the shuttle stop, handy for a drink while the car parks clear.
Things to do while you are here
Newmarket is the home of horseracing, and there is plenty to see away from the track.
Palace House
The National Horseracing Museum, in the middle of town.
The National Stud
A working stud farm run by the Jockey Club, with tours.
The gallops
Early in the morning, strings of racehorses exercise on the heath around the town.
Cambridge
The university city is a short trip away.
On the day
Gates usually open two hours before the first race. Check your raceday page for the exact times, which vary by meeting.
2 hours beforeGates usually open two hours before the first race: for example 10.25am for a 12.25pm first race on the Rowley Mile, or 11.35am for a 1.35pm start on the July Course.
FreePublic parking at every raceday.
Under 18Free with an adult aged 21 or over, except at Newmarket Nights and Summer Saturday Live.
Source: Newmarket Racecourses, Plan your day and FAQs, checked 2 October 2026.
Which course?
Make sure you head to the right course: the Rowley Mile hosts spring and autumn racing, the July Course the summer meetings.
What to wear
There is no dress code: the racecourse asks you to dress to feel your best. Smarter clothes are usual in the Premier Enclosure.
Bags
Bags larger than 40 x 35 x 19 cm aren’t allowed on Newmarket Nights and Summer Saturday Live, and bags are searched at the entrances. A cloakroom is outside Premier 2 Entrance in the Blue car park.
If racing is abandoned
Under the Jockey Club’s policy you get a full refund if racing is abandoned before the first race is completed, and 50% if it is abandoned before the third race or the feature race (whichever is later). After that there is no refund.
Leaving
After festivals and Newmarket Nights, allow up to two hours to get out of the car parks, or use the free shuttle bus.
Betting is optional
You don’t need to bet to enjoy the day. If you do, you must be 18 or over; set a limit before you arrive.
Families and groups
Newmarket is one of the best-value courses for families: under-18s go free at almost every raceday.
Under-18s free
Children aged 17 and under get in free at most meetings, but every child needs a ticket: add free child tickets to your basket when you buy adult tickets. They may be limited at the busiest meetings, so book early.
The rules
Under-18s must be with a parent or an adult aged 21 or over, with no more than three children per adult. Children aged 15 and under must stay with their adult throughout the day.
Newmarket Nights
Children pay full price for the racing-and-concert evenings. The racecourse advises keeping children away from the crowded area in front of the stage.
Help on the day and afterwards
In an emergency
Call 999 and say which Newmarket racecourse you are at (Rowley Mile or July Course) and your enclosure. Then tell a member of staff.
Accessibility
Blue Badge parking can’t be pre-booked; show your badge and a marshal will direct you. On the July Course a golf buggy can take you from your car to the entrance (not for wheelchairs).
After your visit
Official results are on the BHA results page.
A little history
- 1660sKing Charles II makes Newmarket the centre of English racing and founds the Newmarket Town Plate, still run today.
- 1809The first running of the 2,000 Guineas, followed by the 1,000 Guineas in 1814.
- 1875The Dewhurst Stakes, Britain’s top race for two-year-olds, is first run at Newmarket.
- TodayNewmarket hosts two of the five British Classics, the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas, and is home to thousands of racehorses in training.
More Newmarket guides
Compare the enclosuresPrices, views, dress codes and entrances side by sideAccessibilityParking, viewing areas, toilets and personal assistant ticketsYour first racedayHow a day at the races worksOther racecoursesPlan a trip to another course
Prices, dates and travel details were checked on 2 October 2026. The racecourse can change prices, times and arrangements, so check your booking page before you pay. This is an independent guide, not connected to Newmarket Racecourses or The Jockey Club. Some links may earn us a small commission if you book, at no extra cost to you; this never decides what we recommend.