PUNCHESTOWN RACECOURSE
Course: Punchestown Racecourse - The Festival
🎫 Ticket & value: 50 Euros (Available cheaper)
👀 Track view: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🍔 Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🍺 Guinness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭕️ Parade Ring: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🏇 Runners and riders: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎉 Atmosphere: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️ Overall Experience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
👍🏻 Best for: Atmosphere 🎉
Welcome to The Paddock Preview Episode 23 where we crossed the Irish Sea to visit Punchestown Racecourse for their iconic spring festival. Known as the home of Irish jump racing, Punchestown is set in the picturesque County Kildare countryside and hosts five days of top-class National Hunt action every April. It marks the grand finale of the jumps season in Ireland and attracts racing fans from all corners of the country—as well as a growing number from the UK.
One of the standout features of Punchestown is the openness of the site. There are no specific enclosures—just access-all-areas. This really adds to the festival’s inclusive and relaxed feel, and is undoubtedly a huge factor in its growing popularity with racegoers. You’re free to wander, eat, drink, watch racing, and soak up the atmosphere without any restrictions or wristbands dividing the crowds. It’s racing the way it should be.
Track view gets full marks—5/5. From the grandstand and surrounding rails, you can see the entire racecourse laid out in front of you, backed by sweeping countryside views. Several races even begin right in front of the stand, which brings real energy to the crowd. There’s a well-maintained lawned area for spectating too. While the rail in front can slightly obscure things due to its height, it’s only a minor issue and certainly doesn’t take away from the experience. The only slight negative was the big screens—they’re set back a fair distance and aren’t quite large enough to clearly see how horses are travelling or jumping. For example, Constitution Hill ballooning the first wasn’t visible unless you had binoculars.
The heart of the racecourse is undoubtedly the parade ring. It’s centrally located and surrounded by bars, food outlets, and coffee stalls. There’s excellent access to the weighing room, where you can see the jockeys coming and going. The pre-parade and parade rings both offer tiered standing areas, allowing fans to get a proper look at the horses before they head out. It’s a brilliant setup that allows you to follow the entire journey—from pre-parade, through the chute, into the ring, and out onto the track. That said, when it came to the Champion Hurdle, the space did show its limitations. The area around the ring couldn’t accommodate the sheer size of the crowd, so if you didn’t get there early, you weren’t seeing much.
Food and drink options are solid and diverse. Outside the main marquee, there’s a casual area with coffee vans, food stalls, a betting shop, and loads of seating for punters to eat and relax. There’s also a café-style venue on site offering proper hot home cooked meals which is exactly what we like to see at a racecourse. We went for the stuffed rolled pork loin with gravy, mash, roast potatoes, and vegetables, coming in at €18—and it was worth every cent. Sausage and chips were available for €9 to accommodate all budgets and other options like salmon, beef & chicken made it feel like a step above typical racecourse fare. Free drinking water is also available in the restaurant area—a nice touch you don’t see everywhere.
Guinness was priced at €7 and it was sublime some of the best we’ve had at any racecourse. Creamy, ruby red, cold and crisp, a proper Irish Guinness… what more could you want? Bars were extremely well-run, with plenty of staff pre-pouring lagers which always help to keep queues to a minimum. You rarely had to wait more than a couple of minutes to get a drink, which is impressive considering the size of the crowd. There were Guinness bars dotted all around the course which aided this. Our favourite one was located near the track so you only had a minutes walk to get to bookmakers and select your spot to watch the race. The Guinness sky bar was a huge marquee featuring a live DJ and saxophonist really brought the party atmosphere to life. The after party was absolutely popping off and race goers were dancing, singing along to the tunes and sending the day off in style. The soundsystem was serious! The saxophonist even came into the crowd at one point to play as well. There was also a smaller stage with live music being hosted by singers to guitarists. Nearby, you’ll find a variety of food vendors and even a full-on funfair, bringing a proper festival vibe to proceedings.
One unique addition is the Osprey Shopping Village. Tucked behind the grandstand, it hosts a selection of independent stalls selling fashion, racing gear, and unique Irish crafts. It’s a great way to spend time between races and adds something genuinely different to the race-day experience.
The crowd and atmosphere were absolutely top-drawer. It was brilliant to see fans of all ages—Irish and English—mingling and enjoying the festival spirit. You really felt welcome as a visitor, and the locals were buzzing to see more people travelling over. The crowd was insanely loud cheering the horses round the course and coming up the home straight to the finish line. The Irish really did enjoy Stateman winning the champion hurdle. Friday saw some transport delays getting back into Naas, with big queues for the minibus, but Saturday was much more efficient—we were back in town within 20 minutes of leaving the track.
All in all, Punchestown is a proper bucket-list destination for any racing fan. It combines elite racing, a vibrant and varied atmosphere, picturesque surroundings, and an event layout that puts the racegoer first. If you’re looking to round off the jumps season in style, Punchestown delivers in style.
