A Season on the Roodee—Classic Trials, Racing Romans and Elevating Racing
In May this year, the team at Chester Racecourse welcomed almost 40,000 racegoers to the Boodles May Festival, the highest total attendance across the three days since Covid, and an 11% increase on the 2024 figure.
Racegoers flock to Chester for another fantastic raceday (image courtesy Chester Racecourse)
The Boodles May Festival is the opener to Chester’s season and delivers competitive high-quality racing. In 2025, the winners of the trials races both went onto Classic glory; Lambourn (Chester Vase) won the Derby and Minnie Hauk (Cheshire Oaks) triumphed in the Oaks, continuing the strong form lines from Chester’s trial races.
Minnie Hauk storms to success in the Cheshire Oaks prior to winning The Oaks at Epsom (image courtesy Chester Racecourse)
It is also a highlight of the local social calendar, attracting both core racing fans and social racegoers. This is essential for racecourses, as national research shows the public go racing for several reasons: to enjoy a day out with friends or family, to bet on live sport, or to see world-class thoroughbreds up close.
Aidan O’Brien’s comments sum up the raceday experience at Chester
With 15 fixtures from May-October, the Chester Racecourse team recognised that the branding and identity of each fixture was vital to appeal to a broad audience throughout the season, whilst keeping racing at the heart of the experience. Themed racedays play a vital role in this strategy. They create distinctive moments across the calendar, encourage return visits by offering different reasons to attend and balance the needs of different audiences with varied and engaging content.
Chester has developed this approach by creating core ‘elevating racing’ days, where the focus is firmly on the track and shining a spotlight on the sport’s stars: the horses and jockeys. These days are designed to maximise racing exposure through key moments, including: detailed pre-visit communications with racing insights, improving the parade ring experience, creating excitement around the 30-minute build-up to each race and the vital final 5 minutes before the off. By exciting, educating and engaging their guests, particularly social racegoers, they aim to create new, lasting fans of the sport.
Beyond this, the racecourse has developed a series of racedays with content away from the track to encourage new audiences and drive repeat visits. These include Roman Day, celebrating the history and heritage of the racecourse and city for a family audience; Ibiza Classics Evening, attracting a vibrant social racing crowd and the Oktoberfest Season Finale, appealing to a younger demographic. This blend of core racing-focused and themed racedays was underpinned by detailed audience insight and research, ensuring that each fixture delivers for its target audience while keeping racing at the centre of the experience.
Chester’s historic connection to the Romans is brought to life on Roman Day
Research from Chester Racecourse has shown the potential of this approach. A survey of their database found that 52% of respondents said additional content after racing would influence their decision to book. Ticket booking data has also shown a younger demographic trend over the past two years.
Following market research, which included visits to leading attractions and sports venues, the team focused on creating immersive but contained experiences. For example, Oktoberfest featured a dedicated Bavarian Village zone, allowing the racecourse to embrace the theme without detracting from the core racing experience, catering to both dedicated racegoers and those attending primarily for the themed entertainment.
Comprehensive marketing campaigns were launched to promote both days, and the site was dressed with vibrant décor including signage, and photo opportunities. Authentic entertainment was booked, and the F&B was themed accordingly.
Chester’s Oktoberfest in 2024 saw a 20% increase in attendance
Steve Davies, Chief Operating Officer at Chester Racecourse, said: “At Chester, racing always takes centre stage but we know that to elevate the experience, meet the expectations of our guests and drive repeat visits, we need to offer more than just great racing. Themed racedays like Ibiza Classics Evening and Oktoberfest have given us the perfect platform to do that while still respecting the traditions of the sport.”
“We invested time in visiting other venues and attractions to see what works and what doesn’t when it comes to immersive experiences. That insight helped us shape two vibrant, distinctive racedays that enhanced the day without overshadowing the racing. Creating defined zones like the Bavarian Village allowed us to cater to different audiences while keeping the flow and atmosphere of the racecourse intact.”
“What’s most exciting is the response from racegoers. We’ve seen real growth in younger audiences, stronger F&B sales and improved feedback across the board. It proves that if we get the balance right, pairing top-quality racing with standout entertainment, we can give people a reason to come back again and again.”
The race days were a hit, delivering across a number of key metrics including:
- 20% increase in attendance across the Ibiza Classic and Oktoberfest race days
- 9% increase in rebooking for theme race days
- 26% increase in on-course food & beverage sales
- 5% increase in value for money scores in post-event surveys
- 7% increase in NPS
- An increase in bookings from a younger demographic, 55% of bookers for the Oktoberfest race day were aged 18-34
You can find out more about upcoming race days at Chester here and more about last year’s Oktoberfest race day via the RCA’s Showcase Hall of Fame here.
