Goodwood Festival of Speed: The Complete Guide
Four days in the park of an English country house, a 1.9km hill, open paddocks and tickets that go early: how to approach a festival that is prepared from the autumn.
Last updated 5 October 2026 · 4 min read
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a motorsport festival held every July in the park of Goodwood House, near Chichester, in West Sussex. The 2027 edition runs from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 July. At its centre: a hillclimb of 1.16 miles (about 1.9km), which cars and motorcycles run up past the house, from 8.30am into the evening. Around it: paddocks where the machines can be seen up close, a rally stage in the woods, a concours d'elegance, twelve public grandstands. Goodwood sells its own tickets — general sale in November 2026 — and its hospitality packages. Everything else — accommodation, arrival, chauffeur — is composed around it, and booked early.
What is the Festival of Speed?
Motorsport had left Goodwood in 1966. It returned on 19 and 20 June 1993, in a new form: a hillclimb in the park of the house. The organisers expected around 2,000 people; some 25,000 came. The hill has not moved since: it starts at the foot of the park, runs past Goodwood House and climbs towards the woods.
The Festival of Speed is part race meeting, part garden party. Cars and motorcycles from every era are driven in earnest, the machines can be approached in paddocks open to the public, and the day is spent in the park of a family house. In September, the estate also hosts the Goodwood Revival, a separate event devoted to historic racing, on the neighbouring circuit.
How a day unfolds
Every day follows the same rhythm, published by Goodwood. The car parks open early, the gates at 7am: this is the moment to walk the paddocks before the crowds. The runs begin at 8.30am and follow one another throughout the day, batch by batch. The bars close at 6.30pm, the festival at 7pm.
The timings below are those published for the current edition; the 2027 programme will be published as the festival approaches, and we confirm it before your stay.
| Time | Moment | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 6.30am | Car parks open | Grass car parks around the estate |
| 7am | Gates open; the paddocks before the crowds | The whole site |
| 8.30am | First runs of the day | The hill, in front of Goodwood House |
| All day | Hill runs, rally stage, paddocks, concours d'elegance | Hill, woods, lawns |
| 6.30pm – 7pm | Bars close, then the day ends | The whole site |
The four days of 2027
From Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 July 2027. Each day has its own character, as Goodwood itself describes it: Thursday is the day of first unveilings, when new cars run up the hill in public for the first time; Friday and Saturday unfold the full programme; Sunday closes with the Timed Shoot-Out, the timed runs that close the weekend against the clock.
For a first visit, one day is enough to understand the place; two let you see the festival from two angles — one day in the grandstands and the paddocks, another in a hospitality package. Our guide What to See at the Goodwood Festival of Speed? describes each area.
Tickets, hospitality and the Goodwood Road Racing Club
Goodwood sells its digital day tickets, and a separate pass for the twelve public grandstands. Tickets for 2027 go on general sale in November 2026; members of the GRRC Fellowship, the first circle of Goodwood's club, have a priority window. Goodwood also sells its hospitality packages, already open for 2027: the gardens of Goodwood House, the members' clubhouse, pavilions beside the hill, private pavilions.
The Goodwood Road Racing Club, founded in 1998, has its own spaces, including the Kinrara Pavilion, reserved for its members. Full membership goes through a waiting list open only to members of the Fellowship: we can neither obtain it nor work around it. Our guide How to Attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed? compares each route.
Preparing your stay: accommodation, arrival, attire, budget
Accommodation first: on the estate, at The Goodwood Hotel, at Hound Lodge or in a cottage; in a West Sussex country house; or in London. Arrival next: helicopter or light aircraft to Goodwood Aerodrome, subject to permission; train to Chichester, then the shuttle; a car with chauffeur, along a signposted route. Our guides Where to Stay for the Goodwood Festival of Speed? and How to Get to the Goodwood Festival of Speed? compare each option.
Attire last: the festival is spent in a park, on grass; Goodwood recommends flat, comfortable shoes and a light raincoat, and asks for smart casual dress in the hospitality pavilions. The budget is composed item by item and set on quotation: we explain what makes it vary rather than publish a rate card.
Key points
The Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 July 2027, in the park of Goodwood House; runs from 8.30am, close at 7pm. Tickets on general sale in November 2026, hospitality packages already open, the Kinrara Pavilion reserved for club members. TGZ Conciergerie, an independent house with no affiliation to the Goodwood Estate and no official status whatsoever, composes the complete stay — tickets or hospitality sourced on request, accommodation, arrival, chauffeur — on quotation, availability and conditions confirmed before any commitment.
Frequently asked questions
From Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 July 2027, in the park of Goodwood House, near Chichester, according to the calendar published by Goodwood.
1.16 miles, about 1.9km. It has been at the centre of the festival since the first edition, in 1993, and runs past Goodwood House before climbing towards the woods.
At 8.30am each day, according to the timings published for the current edition. The gates open at 7am: the first hour is the time to walk the paddocks in calm.
Thursday for the first unveilings of new cars, Sunday for the Timed Shoot-Out, the timed runs. Friday and Saturday offer the full programme; they are often the busier days.
Yes. According to Goodwood, under-18s must be accompanied by an adult holding a ticket; children aged 12 and under need a child ticket ordered in advance, and a Young Person rate exists for ages 13 to 21. From the age of 2, each person needs their own grandstand pass.
Early: the 2027 hospitality packages are already on sale, tickets open in November 2026, and the 2026 edition sold out. A quotation can be prepared at any time, subject to availability on the day.
No. TGZ Conciergerie is an independent house, with no affiliation to the Goodwood Estate, and no official status whatsoever. We compose stays and source tickets and hospitality on request, without ever reselling a ticket.
Take it further
Your days at Goodwood are prepared now
Tell us how you would like to experience the Festival of Speed — in the grandstands, at table, in a pavilion — and we compose the complete stay: accommodation, arrival, chauffeur, tickets and hospitality sourced on request. A single point of contact, a quotation item by item.