Qatar Goodwood Festival 2027. Glorious Goodwood, and the drive to match.
Five days of flat racing on a downland course with a view over half of Sussex. Panama hats, linen, and a long climb back to the car park at the end of the afternoon.
The meeting
Qatar Goodwood Festival 2027 at a glance
- DatesTuesday 27 to Saturday 31 July 2027Five days. The Goodwood Cup opens the week and the Stewards' Cup closes it on Saturday.
- Official nameQatar Goodwood Festival presented by Visit QatarEverybody still calls it Glorious Goodwood. Both names refer to the same meeting.
- TimingsGates from 11am, first race 1.50pmRacing finishes between about 5.20pm and 5.55pm depending on the day, and the course stays open into the evening.
- WhereGoodwood Racecourse, Chichester, West SussexOn the Downs above Chichester, about 65 miles south west of central London.
Dates and timings as published by Goodwood for 2027. We review this page each year.
Getting there
A hill road, and everybody on it at once
Goodwood Racecourse sits on top of the Downs, which is what makes it beautiful and what makes the approach awkward. Whichever way you come, the last stretch is a narrow, climbing lane, and during the Festival those lanes run under a one-way traffic plan with marshals directing arrivals to numbered car parks. Getting up the hill mid-morning on Saturday takes far longer than the map suggests. Getting down it after the last race is worse.
From London the usual run is the A3 to Milford and across on the A286 through Midhurst, or the A24 and A27 round Chichester and up. We choose between them on the day rather than in advance, because roadworks on the A27 near Arundel and Chichester change the answer.
Racing starts at ten to two, so there is no rush in the morning if you are not lunching on course, and there is a real case for leaving London after the school run rather than before it.
Journey times
To Goodwood Racecourse
| From | Normal day | Festival week |
|---|---|---|
| Mayfair and Knightsbridge | 1 hour 50 to 2 hours 20 | Allow 2 hours 30 to 3 hours 15 |
| Farnborough Airport | 65 to 80 minutes | Allow 1 hour 30 to 2 hours |
| Gatwick | 65 to 80 minutes | Allow 1 hour 30 to 2 hours |
| Heathrow | 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 40 | Allow 2 to 2 hours 45 |
| Southampton Airport | 45 to 60 minutes | Allow 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 45 |
| Chichester | 20 to 30 minutes | Allow 40 to 70 minutes |
Planning guidance, not promises. The last two miles are the variable, not the motorway.
What clients usually book
A car for the day, not a round trip twice
- An S-Class or V-Class with the same chauffeur from your door until you are home, whichever race you leave after
- Several cars arriving together for a box, a lunch or a corporate party
- Collection from Farnborough or Southampton for guests flying in for the day
- A helicopter into Goodwood Aerodrome, two miles from the course, with a car waiting on the ground
- The week split across days, with different guests on different days and one point of contact
- Dinner in Chichester or a drive back to a house party in the Downs afterwards
Arriving by air
The aerodrome is two miles from the grandstand
Goodwood publishes that aircraft arriving for the races, fixed wing and rotary, land at Goodwood Aerodrome rather than at the course itself, with transport laid on to the racecourse once a landing slot is booked through the aerodrome's air traffic control. It is the single best way to skip the hill road, and it is the reason so many owners and trainers use it during the Festival.
We arrange the helicopter and have a car at each end: one at your London or country departure point, one on the ground at Goodwood. For guests arriving from abroad, the practical jet airports are Farnborough and Southampton, with Gatwick as an alternative when the schedule suits.
Book early
Late July is the busiest fortnight of our summer
The Festival follows the Goodwood Festival of Speed by less than a fortnight and sits in the middle of the Sussex season. Saturday, Stewards' Cup day, goes first. Tell us your days as soon as your badges are confirmed.
Around the week
Related pages
Arriving by air
Goodwood through the year
The season
Request a quote
Tell us which days
Which days, how many of you, where you are starting from and which enclosure or box. We reply with a clear price for the day. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Goodwood racing travel
Is Glorious Goodwood the same as the Qatar Goodwood Festival?
Yes. Glorious Goodwood is the traditional name; the meeting is officially the Qatar Goodwood Festival presented by Visit Qatar. When you tell us which you mean, we will know.
Can the car wait all day?
Yes, and most clients book it that way. Your chauffeur stays for the afternoon and is ready whenever you decide to come down the hill.
Can we arrive by helicopter?
Yes. Goodwood publishes that aircraft for the races use Goodwood Aerodrome, about two miles away, with transport to the course arranged once the landing is booked. We can arrange the flight and a car at both ends.
What is the dress code?
It is more relaxed than Royal Ascot, with linen suits and Panama hats the traditional look, but the Richmond Enclosure has its own published requirements. Check the current guide for your badge before the day.
Are you an official partner of Goodwood?
No. We are an independent chauffeur company providing transport to and from the meeting.