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PUNCHESTOWN ON COURSE TO SURPASS GOLDEN BENCHMARK

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The challenge is set and the countdown is on for the 2026 Punchestown Festival, one of the most anticipated fixtures in the Irish sporting and social calendar, taking place from Tuesday 28th April to Saturday 2nd May.

With an ideal weather forecast on the radar, the Racecourse of The Year is preparing to go even bigger and better than last year’s record level attendance with advance ticket sales indicating a crowd of over 130,000 across five days. Whilst the best of Irish and British racing talent will battle it out across 40 races for the record €3.6 million prize fund, this occasion has evolved far beyond sport to become a flagship national entertainment event.

Punchestown CEO Conor O’Neill explains the scale and impact of the Festival: “World class championship sport remains at the heart of what we do and alongside this our strategy is to enhance, elevate, and excel in an extremely competitive leisure and entertainment market. The Punchestown Festival is big business, has a huge economic impact of over €70 million, boosts tourism by filling every hotel room in the region and attracts international interest from as far as the USA and Australia. Whilst the enclosures, pavilions and bars are packed with festival goers enjoying racing, great live entertainment, style, shopping, food and beverage, we will host over 24,000 people from 800 companies as Ireland’s largest corporate hospitality event with seasonal, locally sourced menus prepared and served by excellent teams of over 600 staff”.

O’Neill adds “I’m delighted to say that our hospitality is totally sold out midweek despite expanding capacity by 2,500 seats and introducing the new Horse Walk venue. Saturday has a handful of seats left”.

From Tuesday 28th April, the trainer and jockey championship battles will be decided whilst the social hub Southern Enclosure will host the iconic Sky Bar After Party, Pony Club live music stage and the coveted Bollinger Best Dressed Style award. New for 2026 will be the Kildare Village Grand Pavilion, Ireland’s biggest singles event in the Your Friend My Friend Saturday Pavilion, mobile DJ sets, the expanded Britvic Family fun zone and a host of new beverage and dining options across a huge variety of bars and pop-up outlets.

The very last ticket deal wraps up at midnight on Sunday 26th April after which premium Festival prices kick in for all those except seniors, students, teens and family who buy on the day. Organisers strongly advise using public transport where possible especially on Festival Friday. A complete transport plan is available on the website with plenty of additional local shuttle and regional bus services added for 2026.

With so many moving parts including compelling championship narratives, over 60 British raiders, ever-expanding hospitality, style stakes and entertainment reminiscent of the Oxegen years, the 2026 Punchestown Festival is poised to deliver another unforgettable chapter. The stage is set. The legacy is strong. The expectation is clear. See you at Punchestown.

Visit www.punchestown.com for ticket bookings and full event details.

To the staff of Punchestown Racecourse,

On behalf of myself, my husband Jim, and our three children, George, Olivia and Grace, we would like to thank you most sincerely for sending us to Lapland last Saturday, the 13th of December.

George was the lucky boy from Two Mile House National School whose Golden Ticket was pulled from the hat at Punchestown Premiere Weekend. He won an all-expenses-paid day trip to Lapland in Finland. Having his name called felt like a Christmas miracle — a truly wonderful thing to happen to our family — and we were filled with excitement and gratitude from that moment on.

We were even excited for our 3.00am wake-up call on Saturday morning! I would describe the day as a Magical Marathon — 21 hours of constant movement, filled with truly magical moments.

We flew with TUI, who had chartered the flight to Kittilä in northern Finland. The flight lasted over three hours, and we disembarked into a very unfamiliar world. The temperature was -22°C. My nose hair froze as I breathed in, and the cold crept up the legs of my jeans — a dry cold unlike anything we experience in Ireland. It was dusky even at 1 o’clock local time. The trees were covered in snow, and the surroundings were quiet and beautiful. Santa’s elves were everywhere, spreading cheer and encouraging us along.

On arrival, we had to layer up to protect ourselves. We were warned that it was particularly cold, even by local standards — snowing and breezy — but the suits we were given worked a charm.

We got to meet Santa, and we asked him to help Punchestown win Racecourse of the Year. He said he would. We also told him how excited all the boys and girls from Punchestown and Two Mile House are for his visit next week and sent him their love.

Throughout the day we enjoyed so many incredible experiences: a reindeer ride, a husky sleigh, sledding down snow slopes, snowball fights with the elves, cookie decorating, warming up by cosy fires and even riding a snowmobile.

The day was made up of beautiful moments that will never be forgotten. The children loved every part of it — even the long flights, the tiredness & the cold.

Punchestown has played an important role in my family’s history. My grandmother and grandfather: Maura and Michael Burke, leased land in Punchestown from Mrs. Arthur Moore during the 1980s and 1990s.

As a Two Mile House girl, Punchestown has been a constant in my life from early childhood to the present day. When I was in primary school, we had three days off during the Punchestown Festival every year. My extended family and I loved Punchestown week and always attended at least one day. We would be given a pound by my grandmother and spend hours on the hurdy-gurdys going back and forth to our family.

I celebrated my hen party at Punchestown, and my husband and family attend the New Year’s Eve meeting every year.

Punchestown generously donated money to my brother, Adam Burke, in 2017, and I attended with him on the morning it was presented to him by Dick O’ Sullivan and Snowball Pearce. We celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday of Premiere weekend in the private suites and were so well looked after by your staff.

My aunt Helen Smullen and cousins Ciara, Sinead and Eimear Smullen rode in the charity race at the Punchestown festival over a number of years.

The racecourse is interlinked with so many of our family traditions, and now we bring our own children to Punchestown annually as well.

Congratulations on winning Racecourse of the Year — it is so richly deserved. The racecourse is such an important part of many local people’s lives. It’s a happy place for us where we celebrate, be together and feel at home.

Thank you again for an experience our family will treasure forever.

With sincere thanks,

Kate Eustace & Family

The Punchestown Premiere Weekend

Saturday 22 &  Sunday 23 November

The Premiere Weekend is probably the biggest early season race meeting in Ireland with two days of top class racing featuring a grade one double header. On Saturday the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle will welcome the reigning and potential champion hurdlers. Sunday features the very prestigious Grade one John Durkan Memorial Chase whilst the supporting cast of listed, graded and cross country racing runs across the weekend. Throw in great bars, live music, free kids stuff, tasty food and free bus to Naas and your weekend is sorted.

TIMES  

TICKETS – BOOK HERE

TRANSPORT:  

Free Naas Shuttle Bus Service

Return Dublin City Service

 

FOOD & FACILITIES 

Dress up or dress down.

Make it special and pre-book our famous Race & Dine packages with truly delicious seasonal food and fantastic views of the action.

Keep it casual and enjoy tasty dishes in The Feedroom, Hay cafe or food trucks with a really good selection of hot or cold dishes and snacks along with great home bakes and great coffee. No booking necessary.

There are no enclosures at Punchestown. You can enjoy all the facilities except the private hospitality areas. We have great bars, cafes and plenty of seating and screens.

 

FAMILY FRIENDLY WEEKEND 

MUSIC, SHOPPING & MORE