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t is official. Data released on Friday showed that racecourse attendances really did boom over Christmas and the new year.
Many tracks reported big crowds over the festive period, with a huge 38,374 people at Cheltenham on January 1 – 10,000 more than in recent years.
Now Racecourse Association figures have backed up the impression of a spike in numbers, with 199,903 racegoers going through the gates at the 35 meetings staged in the week from December 26 to January 2.
That was 38 per cent more than in 2021 and 6.4 per cent up on 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.
It came at the end of a year in which total attendance in Britain looks almost certain to have dipped below five million for the first time in more than a quarter of a century, apart from Covid-ravaged 2020 and 2021.
Crowds on each of the four public holidays in Britain were higher than in 2019, with 55,069 at the track on Boxing Day, compared to 50,896 three years previously.
Market Rasen, Wetherby and Wincanton were among those to report a bumper turnout on December 26, while the meeting at Huntingdon attracted it biggest attendance for that day since 2008.
RCA chief executive David Armstrong said: "I am encouraged by the attendance figures seen over the festive period. Anecdotally we had heard from a number of racecourses how busy they had been and it is encouraging to see this backed up by the data.
"While 2021 was perhaps a low benchmark due to the emergence of the omicron Covid-19 variant, 2019 was considered a strong year and we have easily surpassed it.
"Racing over the festive period is a long-standing tradition for our sport and many families make it part of their celebrations. It is not lost on us that choosing to have a day out in the current climate is a significant undertaking, and I sincerely hope that each of the attendees had a fantastic day out and come racing again soon."
Racing also benefited from the creation of the new ITV Racing Christmas festival over the period. British and Irish racing was showcased across six days, with action broadcast from 14 meetings in over 18 hours of live coverage.
Many tracks reported big crowds over the festive period, with a huge 38,374 people at Cheltenham on January 1 – 10,000 more than in recent years.
Now Racecourse Association figures have backed up the impression of a spike in numbers, with 199,903 racegoers going through the gates at the 35 meetings staged in the week from December 26 to January 2.
That was 38 per cent more than in 2021 and 6.4 per cent up on 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.
It came at the end of a year in which total attendance in Britain looks almost certain to have dipped below five million for the first time in more than a quarter of a century, apart from Covid-ravaged 2020 and 2021.
Crowds on each of the four public holidays in Britain were higher than in 2019, with 55,069 at the track on Boxing Day, compared to 50,896 three years previously.
Market Rasen, Wetherby and Wincanton were among those to report a bumper turnout on December 26, while the meeting at Huntingdon attracted it biggest attendance for that day since 2008.
RCA chief executive David Armstrong said: "I am encouraged by the attendance figures seen over the festive period. Anecdotally we had heard from a number of racecourses how busy they had been and it is encouraging to see this backed up by the data.
"While 2021 was perhaps a low benchmark due to the emergence of the omicron Covid-19 variant, 2019 was considered a strong year and we have easily surpassed it.
"Racing over the festive period is a long-standing tradition for our sport and many families make it part of their celebrations. It is not lost on us that choosing to have a day out in the current climate is a significant undertaking, and I sincerely hope that each of the attendees had a fantastic day out and come racing again soon."
Racing also benefited from the creation of the new ITV Racing Christmas festival over the period. British and Irish racing was showcased across six days, with action broadcast from 14 meetings in over 18 hours of live coverage.
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Weather was good with no chance of meetings being called off late. People knew for a week racing would go ahead. Able to plan.
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Its really good news. Lets hope attendances haven't become polarised to just the bug events and bank holidays.
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Well it wasn't the big event that pushed up the figures on Boxing Day, as Kempton reported a crowd of 11,300, a long way down on the 20k+ that used to attend and even the 17k that were there in 2019.
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That's right Anorak but Cheltenham New Year's Day (I know not necessarily a big meet) had over 38,000 which is probably their biggest ever attendance outside of the festival. I know one swallow doesn't make a summer but their might be an argument to add a few more meetings in the week at the expense of some in the week before xmas.
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You're right, the Cheltenham figure is amazing and as you suggest, the best ever away from the Festival, at least in the years since 1989 covered in the Levy Board stats.
It's been similar in the past, that when Jan 1st falls on a Sunday, they've had a bigger crowd than in years either side - but I've no idea why that would be the case. |
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Plenty of NH racing fans in Gloucestershire and the south west area but not many left in London? I suppose that a lot of people might be making a decision to go back racing for the first time since Covid19 or some are going for the first time.
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The secret for the Cheltenham new years day meeting is a holiday the day after so when it falls on Friday - Sunday everyone obviously has next day off,not so busy when everyone back to work the next day,also much easier travelling home too
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