By LUKE AUGUSTUS, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
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Cheltenham Festival organisers have stayed true to their phrase by reducing the worth of a pint of Guinness at this 12 months’s races.
As detailed by Daily Mail Sport in September, the choice to decrease the costs got here as a method to entice racegoers to return to the four-day occasion after a discount in attendance.
In 2025, 218,839 folks flocked to Prestbury Park – a lower of greater than 10,000 on the earlier 12 months when simply south of 230,000 attended.
Final 12 months’s Women Day, which is on a Wednesday, noticed simply 41,949 come by the gates – the bottom crowd determine for a single day in 1 / 4 of a century.
Many punters blamed the rising prices of attending and having fun with Cheltenham as the primary issue for no-shows, with a pint of Guinness in 2025 nearly on the £8-mark at £7.80.
And in response to all the above, the worth of a pint of Guinness at this 12 months’s Competition has been slashed by 30p to £7.50. A half-pint is £3.75 – 15p lower than final 12 months.
Cheltenham Competition have decreased their pint of Guinness costs by 30p to £7.50 this 12 months
Racegoers pictured having fun with a £7.50 pint of Guinness forward of the primary day at Cheltenham
A Guinness half-pint has decreased by 15p to £3.75 as Cheltenham tries to draw extra followers
That full-pint value discount, spearheaded by chief government Man Lavender, means the favored drink is identical value it was in 2022.
Talking in September about that now-ratified choice, former MCC chairman Lavender stated: ‘The value of a pint of Guinness is a peculiarly emotive concern for many individuals, however it’s necessary.
‘You may’t benchmark it, Cheltenham is its personal occasion however it was fairly clear that this was one thing folks cared about. Subsequently, my view was that we must do one thing about it.
‘Moderately than put their costs up, which I anticipate each different venue to do, I felt we must always cut back these costs and carry these prices ourselves. That is a choice we have taken to implement for the entire of the season.
‘For those who take a look at different sports activities and occasions, I feel there can be only a few which can be matching that value level. It is a deliberate, purposeful transfer in direction of delivering higher worth for racegoers. It isn’t about promoting extra pints, it is a sign of intent that we’re responding to the challenges round worth. I hope it’s going to be effectively acquired.’
In addition to Guinness, there are various different value adjustments – albeit small – in comparison with final 12 months.
Guinness 0.0 is cheaper too, with a pint now £7.30 and a half-pint at £3.65 barely lower than final 12 months’s costs of £7.40 and £3.70.
Crowds fell by greater than 10,000 at Cheltenham in 2025 in comparison with a 12 months earlier
The drinks costs of this 12 months’s Cheltenham (above) in comparison with final 12 months’s (beneath)
For many who want to get on the spirits, there may be excellent news too with a single 25ml measure of Morgan’s Spiced, Smirnoff, Gordon’s Gin and Gordon’s Pink Gin all decreased by 20p to £7.
A 330ml bottle of premium lager or a 500ml can of Doom Bar are the identical value as final 12 months, at £7.40 and £7.80 every. A 25ml shot of Jamesons can also be nonetheless £7.30.
Nonetheless, those that want to drink an alcohol-free lager face inflation by 10p with a 330ml bottle now as much as £4.10. Wines have additionally elevated by 30p to £10 for anybody fancying a home white, home purple or home rose.
