Royal Ascot

About

Royal Ascot is a highlight of the summer social season and is certainly a must-attend event of the year and a quintessentially British day out.

These are five days made for socialising.  Experience all the elements of Royal Ascot in 2025: the racing, the pageantry, the dining and the style!

Every day of the Royal Ascot meeting – from Tuesday to Saturday – is attended by the royal family.

Royal Ascot is Britain’s most valuable race meeting, attracting many of the world’s finest racehorses to compete for £10 milllion in prize money. Nineteen Group races, eight of them in Group One, have made legends of the finest thoroughbreds. Black Caviar, Frankel, Yeats – all are Royal Ascot winners turned household names.

Royal Ascot Tickets

There are four enclosures to choose from, each with its own individual character, and all put you at the heart of the racing action: the Royal Enclosure, the Queen Anne Enclosure, the Village Enclosure and the Windsor Enclosure.

Find out more about the various enclosures and book Royal Ascot tickets.

Ladies' Day

The Thursday of Royal Ascot is the day of the historic Gold Cup.  It’s Ascot’s oldest surviving race and the winning owners still receive a gold trophy to keep.  The term Ladies’ Day was first coined in 1823 when an anonymous poet described the Thursday of the Royal Meeting as "Ladies’ Day … when the women, like angels, look sweetly divine." Thursday is vibrant and celebratory.

Royal Ascot Dress Code

Royal Ascot is heralded as a major fashion event.  It’s an excuse to dress up and have a fabulous day!  Depending on which enclosure you have tickets for, you can be guided and inspired by what to wear at Royal Ascot 2025 by visiting the Royal Ascot Style Guide.

Royal Ascot Dates 2025

The dates for Royal Ascot 2025 are Tuesday 17 June to Saturday 21 June 2025. 

Each day follows a similar format.  Gates open at 10:30am. The Royal Procession makes its way from the Golden Gates, along the racecourse, and into the Parade Ring and arrives by 2pm.

Seven races take place throughout the day; the first race is at 2:30pm and the last race is at 5.35pm.

Once the final race concludes, racegoers in the Queen Anne Enclosure are invited to celebrate their winnings by singing traditional favourites, along with a few new tunes, around the bandstand (from approximately 6pm).