Overview
- Festival organisers lowered the Guinness pint to £7.50, returning to 2022 levels in a move led by chief executive Guy Lavender, with the alcohol-free option set at £7.30.
- For the first time, spectators are permitted to drink along the rails in front of the grandstand, a change intended to improve the on-course experience.
- Racegoers continued to criticise prices on social media despite the reduction, pointing to steep expenses beyond drinks, including accommodation.
- Benidorm venues promoted pints advertised from about £1.70 alongside big screens and party programming, with the Daily Mail reporting a 225% rise in hotel bookings around the festival period.
- Organisers introduced wider reforms including reduced daily capacity to 66,000, multi-ticket packages and the return of Ladies Day, following a 2025 attendance of 218,839 and the lowest Ladies Day crowd in 25 years.