The annual Cheltenham Festival starts on Tuesday, 14 March, with 28 races falling across the following four days, so race fans are in for plenty of fun.
This historic British horse-racing festival is a massive draw, both for people watching in person, following along on TV and watching online from around the world. Unfortunately, the race is only aired in the UK, but there are still ways to see it from elsewhere (namely a VPN).
If you're interested in watching the Cheltenham Festival races, below we'll run you through how to do so, whether you're in the UK or somewhere else. We'll also run you through the schedule, so you can get your head around all 28 of those races.
How to watch Cheltenham Festival in the UK
The Cheltenham Festival will be shown on ITV1 in the UK, with races running from 1 pm to 4 pm every day. There will also be an opening show at 8.30 am on ITV4.
This means the race is free to stream (well, not counting the fact you have to pay for a license fee).
You can watch the festival online if you prefer, as ITVX lets you stream live ITV channels over the internet. You don't need ITVX Premium either — the free tier is enough.
How to watch Cheltenham Festival everywhere else
If you're keen to watch the Cheltenham Festival races but you're somewhere the broadcasts aren't easily available, a potential solution to this issue is with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address, enabling you to watch shows or sporting events like IndyCar races and all the other shows and events that matter to you from other locations. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
Cheltenham Festival: what you need to know
What Cheltenham Festival races are taking place?
Over four days, the Cheltenham Festival will play host to 28 different races, and you can find the full list below:
Tuesday
- Supreme Novices' Hurdle
- Arkle Challenge Trophy
- Festival Trophy Handicap Chase
- Champion Hurdle
- David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle
- Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle
- National Hunt Challenge Cup
Wednesday
- Baring Bingham Novices' Hurdle
- Brown Advisory Notices' Chase
- Coral Cup
- Queen Mother Champion Chase
- Cross Country Chase
- Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase
- Champion Bumper
Thursday
- Golden Miller Novices' Chase
- Pertemps Final
- Festival Trophy
- Stayers' Hurdle
- Magners Plate Handicap Chase
- Dawn Run Mares' Novices' Hurdle
- Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
Friday
- Triumph Hurdle
- County Handicap Hurdle
- Spa Novices' Hurdle
- Cheltenham Gold Cup
- Foxhunter Chase
- Liberthine Mares' Chase
- Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle
Where does the Cheltenham Festival take place?
The Cheltenham Festival takes place at the Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury Park, which is just outside Cheltenham in Gloucestershire.
This racecourse has been hosting the Cheltenham Festival off-and-on since the early 1900s, and permanently since 1911.
What's new in the Cheltenham Festival?
If you've been watching the Cheltenham Festival religiously, then you might be wondering if anything's new this year. The number of races hasn't changed, but a major component of the festival has.
The main change this year, which has proven contentious, is that the festival's long-standing dress code has been abandoned, in order to make the in-person event more accessible. So jeans are now acceptable — though if you're streaming Cheltenham Festival from home, this change won't really affect you.
