Fancy a trip to the Dublin Racing Festival? Be sure to book in advance as Leopardstown scraps ticket sales on the gate

Tickets will not be available on the gate for next year's Dublin Racing Festival after the meeting was switched to a booking-only event due to its growing popularity.

Entrance to the two-day fixture, which takes place on February 1 and 2, will only be available to those who secure tickets in advance due to Leopardstown's desire to provide an enhanced experience for racegoers following customer feedback.

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The festival boasts eight Grade 1s, won by the likes of Ballyburn, Gaelic Warrior and Galopin Des Champs last year, and has enjoyed healthy crowd numbers, with a 40 per cent increase in attendance in 2023 and a further four per cent this year.

It has also become a popular trip for British racegoers, who made up 38 per cent of February's 36,020 attendees this year.

The Dublin Racing Festival has proved popular with British racegoersCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Tim Husbands, CEO of Leopardstown, said: "We're extremely proud that the Dublin Racing Festival has grown exponentially in recent years and reached a record attendance in 2024, with 20,000 racegoers attending on the opening day alone, a true measure of the importance of the fixture.

"The success of the Dublin Racing Festival is down to the high quality of the racing on offer. Across the two days there are eight Grade 1 races with the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup and the Irish Champion Hurdle among them.

"Today's announcement comes as a direct result of feedback that we have received from racegoers. Those attending in February, and at our upcoming Christmas festival, will enjoy a greater number of food offerings and a significant increase in the number of toilet facilities.

"Bar capacity in the festival marquee area has increased by 70 per cent, and the marquee itself has increased by 50 per cent in size. Our Skippio Fast Track bars will have an increased presence around the marquee to reduce waiting times."

The Dublin Racing Festival has proved popular with British racegoers but it attracted just three British-trained runners this year, with the Sophie Leech-trained Madara the sole winner from the trio. Willie Mullins achieved a clean sweep of the Grade 1 contests.

General admission tickets are priced at €35 and can be purchased alongside hospitality packages here.

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