Plan Your Visit (Fireworks 2021)

Chester Race Company has a proactive attitude to catering for disabled racegoers. Chester Racecourse is DDI compliant, however, owing to the age of some of the grandstands, suitability does vary.

For racegoers who are confined to a wheelchair, parking can be arranged in the disabled parking bays at the Holiday Inn Express, which is located next to the racecourse. If you require a disabled parking space at the Holiday Inn Express car park on fireworks night, please contact our Box Office team before the event to reserve a space for free. You can contact them on 01244 304 610 or by email on enquiries@chester-races.com.

There is a wheelchair route throughout the racecourse. If you require assistance gaining access to the racecourse this can be sought at the Disabled Reception based in the Holiday Inn Express Car Park. Lifts are available in the County, Leverhulme and Tattersalls Grandstands.

Designated viewing areas have been established in the County, Tattersalls and Dee enclosures.

Specialist toilet facilities are available in all racecourse enclosures.

Alternatively, a full breakdown of accessibility information can be viewed online at the Disabled Go website here.

Gates will open to the racecourse at 5pm.

On arriving at the racecourse, please refer to the directional signage or ask a steward to be directed to the relevant gate for entry to the course. Information on the gates to use on entry can be found in the tab below. Please be aware that there may be queues on arrival. If you are carrying a bag, it will be checked by a member of our security team. We advise only bringing a bag if it is essential.

Chester currently have a clockwise scheme in place to manage traffic during major infrastructure works to the city’s drains. Due to a number of road closures, you are advised to follow the directional signage and also visit the local council’s website for further information here. The council may also decide to shut other roads close to the racecourse on or around race days. We have no control over this, but we urge you to check road closures in Chester here before you depart on your journey.

We do advise you follow our social media channels for the latest news and updates prior to your visit. Use the links at the bottom of the page to visit our official social pages.

Information is subject to change from organisers:

• P A R A D E : Concierge Desk (Hotel Car Park)
• Gate 3A: General Admission + The White Horse
• Gate 4: General Admission + County Boxes
• Gate 5: General Admission + Restaurant 1539

For the fireworks event we have one ticket available – ‘General Admission’. This ticket gives you full access to the County, Tattersalls and Dee Stands for the night as well as the funfair in The White Horse car park (please be aware, rides are not included in your ticket purchase). The inside area of the race track including the paddock area will not be in use for the night. This is due to health and safety concerns because of limited lighting in this area.

Children under the age of 4 are admitted free of charge to the Lord Mayor’s Fireworks Extravaganza with a paying adult ticket holder. Adults do not need to pre-book under 4’s, please inform staff at the gate if your child is under 4 so that we can admit them. Please note, we may measure your child’s height to facilitate their free admission. Children aged 4 and over will require a ‘General Admission’ ticket to enter the racecourse.

There is no specific dress code for the fireworks event. We do however, encourage you to dress for the elements (i.e. warm layers + possibly a raincoat/umbrella). Cover is limited at the racecourse.

We recommend you allow plenty of time to make your journey and arrive early to take advantage of the full raceday experience.

By Car

Chester Racecourse is easily reachable via car and is sign-posted from all major routes. The M53, M56, M6 and A483 are all in close proximity to Chester providing excellent links from Liverpool, Manchester, North Wales and the south of England.

Chester currently have a clockwise scheme in place to manage traffic during major infrastructure works to the city’s drains. Due to a number of road closures, you are advised to follow the directional signage and also visit the local council’s website for further information here. The council may also decide to shut other roads close to the racecourse on or around race days. We have no control over this, but we urge you to check road closures in Chester here before you depart on your journey.

Between the hours of 1:00pm and 11:59pm road closures will be in place on New Crane Street, Watergate Street and Nuns Road. Safety barriers will enforce the closures, providing additional security to members of the public. Refer to our official social media channels closer to the event for details.

Those visiting the racecourse by car should follow the temporary yellow signage in place on approach to the city of Chester to reach the racecourse. We recommend that you do not input the Chester Racecourse postcode (CH1 2LY) into your Sat Nav, but instead approach from Sealand Road (to the West of the city) using postcode CH1 4LD.

For live traffic updates, please visit the Cheshire West & Chester Council website.

By Train

Chester Racecourse is located in the heart of the historic city and is easily accessible by the rail network with trains running frequently to Chester Train station. The railway station is a six-minute taxi ride to the racecourse, or a 20-minute walk.

By Bus

Chester Racecourse is located in Chester City Centre and is easily accessible via bus routes and via Park & Ride. With the current one-way system in place around the city, we strongly recommend using Chester’s Park & Ride service. For more information please visit Chester and Cheshire West Park & Ride website here.

By Air

If you are planning to travel by helicopter or light aircraft, please make the necessary arrangements to use the landing facilities in Deeside. Please contact British Aerospace, Hawarden, Deeside on 01244 522 012/3.

Car parking at the racecourse will not be available on the day to any members of the public. This is due to the fireworks being stationed on the Open Course which means we cannot have vehicles parked there.

Attendees can visit the Cheshire West & Chester website here to view local city car parks.

Vendors and venues across the racecourse accept cash and card payments (including contactless services such as Apple Pay, Google Pay etc.). However, we do advise attendees to bring cash as a back-up. Additionally, the funfair will be unlikely to accept card payments and therefore will require cash for any purchases of tickets for rides. There are three cashpoints situated on course. Cash machines are located in the stairwell of the County Stand, in the Paddock behind the Pavilion Bar and in Tattersalls Enclosure. There is a charge to use the machines and a minimum withdrawal of £20 is required. An ATM is available all year round in the Holiday Inn Express, Chester Racecourse.

Holiday Inn Express, Chester Racecourse.

Located in the grounds of Chester Racecourse, our on-course hotel, the Holiday Inn Express, offers an unrivaled location and value for money, with complimentary WiFi and parking as standard. Be sure to reserve your rooms early to avoid disappointment – the hotel books up early and well in advance of race days.

Call 01244 327900 or click here to book.

Chester is a city all about choice!

Come rain or shine, Chester is the perfect place to experience a fabulous day out shopping.

From famous high street stores to small boutiques and unique independents, our city centre aims to please even the most demanding shopper.

Discover specialist food shops, art galleries, gifts, jewelry, fashion and much more within the cobbled streets and quirky lanes of our compact walled city.

Take time out to rest your feet with regular pit-stops for coffee, cake and even cocktails in one of the many al fresco cafes, bars and restaurants spilling out onto the city centre pavements.

During your visit to Chester you may spot a bowler hat wearing CH1 Welcome Ambassador in the city centre. They are our walking, talking information centres and are ready to offer a friendly welcome and assistance. If you see them whilst you’re out and about, please feel free to stop and ask a question.

The Experience Chester website is all about sharing the delights of our amazing city with those who already visit Chester, those who live or work here, and those who may never have set foot in Chester before and don’t know what they’re missing out on!

Click here to view a map of the city of Chester.

Shop, dine and play in Chester – click here to find out more.

Here at Chester Racecourse we take the safety and security of all our visitors very seriously. If you are planning on attending one of our fixtures or a non-raceday event, please ensure you arrive in plenty of time to pass through our enhanced security checks.

Our security and customer relations team are here for your safety. Please cooperate fully with all security checks and support these vital members of our team as they carry out important work to keep us all safe and sound.

On race days and at our larger events, barriers are constructed across all the access roads. These barriers are designed to create a vehicle free space for you to enjoy the event safely. If you’re curious when you see them ask a member of our trained team who will be more than willing to answer your questions.

Search Policy:

In order to ensure the safest possible environment for you to enjoy a relaxing day at the races, it is necessary to implement certain security measures on entry.

All attendees are subject to our search policy which is designed to reassure guests and customers that they are entering a safe and secure environment.

Our search teams will be looking for any prohibited items along with any items that may cause concern.

All bags will be subject to a search at point of entry, so it is important to only bring items with you that are necessary and that will not compromise any of the prohibited items.

Our team of sniffer dogs are here to help our search teams and although they are friendly please remember, these are busy working dogs with a very important job to do. Please do not try to pet them.

Exceptions will be made for medically necessary items after thorough and proper inspection at point of entry.

The racecourse is monitored both night and day and together with our partners at Chester City we can cover a much wider area of surveillance if required. We also work very closely with Cheshire Police and members of the security services to ensure our security procedures are up to date and following best practice.

Chester Racecourse have dedicated and trained members of our security team who are working around the clock to ensure all our guests have a safe, secure and happy time.