The Punchestown Festival

What it is

The Punchestown Festival is the grand finale of the Irish National Hunt season: five days of racing at Punchestown, just outside Naas in Co. Kildare and under an hour from Dublin. It usually runs from a Tuesday to a Saturday at the end of April or start of May, and the racecourse has published the 2027 festival as Tuesday 27 April to Saturday 1 May 2027. The 2026 festival finished on Saturday 2 May.

Punchestown is often called the home of Irish jumps racing, and it has deep roots. Racing here was reorganised as the Kildare and National Hunt Steeplechases in 1861, and a visit by the Prince of Wales in 1868 helped make it one of the great social occasions of the Irish year. That mix of serious racing and a big party is still the heart of it: the best horses of the season, many fresh from Cheltenham, meet again for championship prizes, while the bars, music and pop-ups keep going for around two hours after the last race.

The big races, day by day

The published programme lists twelve Grade 1 races across the week. The headline races:

• Tuesday, Champion Chase Day: the Grade 1 Champion Chase (€300,000) is the feature, with Grade 1 novice races for hurdlers and chasers on the same card.
• Wednesday, Gold Cup Day: the Punchestown Gold Cup (€300,000) is the week's biggest staying chase. Ruby Walsh rode his final winner in this race, on Kemboy in 2019. A Grade 1 championship bumper (a flat race for jumps-bred horses) is also on the card.
• Thursday, Champion Stayers Hurdle Day: stamina takes over with the Grade 1 Champion Stayers Hurdle (€300,000), plus the La Touche Cup over the cross-country course. The Goffs Punchestown Sale takes place in the winners' enclosure after racing.
• Friday, Champion Hurdle Day: the Punchestown Champion Hurdle (€300,000) shares the day with the Bollinger Best Dressed competition, and many regulars see Friday as the social highlight of the week.
• Saturday, Festival Finale: a family-friendly day with a Grade 1 mares' champion hurdle, a Grade 1 four-year-old hurdle, a charity race and a kids' fun zone. The season's champion jockeys and trainers are crowned in the winners' enclosure.

Race sponsors change, so the names on the racecard may differ slightly from year to year.

Cross-country racing

One thing you will not see at most Irish tracks is Punchestown's cross-country course, the only banks course of its kind in Ireland. Instead of standard fences, horses jump banks and other natural obstacles, and it makes for a very different kind of race to watch. Cross-country races run on three days of the festival, including the Ladies Perpetual Cup on Tuesday, the La Touche Cup on Thursday and a cross-country chase on Saturday.

Getting there

Punchestown has a proper festival transport plan, and a Garda traffic plan is in place for the week.

• Official coach from Dublin: a dedicated service runs direct from Dublin city centre, taking about an hour in normal traffic. Buses return from the drop-off point starting 30 minutes after the last race. The racecourse listed early bird fares of €30 return, rising in tiers to €40.
• Naas shuttle: a hop-on, hop-off shuttle runs from Poplar Square in Naas (outside Lawlors Hotel) and from opposite the post office, from 12.30pm each day, €5 each way with no need to pre-book.
• Regional buses: a festival bus network serves parts of Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Meath and Tipperary. Many towns also organise their own buses, so ask locally.
• From the airport: a festival shuttle runs from Dublin Airport via the Red Cow Luas stop into Naas, linking with the Naas shuttle.
• Train: Irish Rail runs from Heuston to Sallins, just outside Naas. From there, take a local bus into Naas or a pre-booked taxi.
• Taxi: Punchestown estimates €100 to €120 from Dublin city centre or the airport. Naas has taxi ranks at Poplar Square and Market Square.

Where to stay

Naas is the natural base, with pubs, restaurants and the shuttle on the doorstep. Newbridge, Kildare town, Sallins and Kilcullen are all nearby, and many visitors simply stay in Dublin and use the official coach. Rooms around Naas are often blocked for the festival, but Punchestown notes that cancellation lists are common, so ring the hotel directly rather than relying on booking sites.

Tickets and tips

• Book early. Pre-festival deals run up to the Sunday night before the festival, and the earlier you buy the more you save. Tickets are non-refundable.
• Flexi ticket: a €55 Flexi ticket covers any one day of your choice, handy if your plans are loose.
• Discounts on the day: student, senior, teen and family tickets are sold only at the designated turnstiles on the day, so staff can check eligibility. For 2026 the Friday teen ticket (14 to 17) was €30 and the student ticket €35, and a €50 family ticket was available on the Saturday.
• Timings: festival gates open at 12 noon, the first race is at 2.30pm and the last at 6.35pm, all an hour later on Friday.
• Dress: there is no formal dress code, but it is a big social occasion and plenty of people dress up, especially on Friday. Bring a layer: spring in Kildare can be cold.
• Cash and cards: all bars take contactless, but bring some cash to avoid ATM queues. There is a festival cloakroom on the ground floor of the Panoramic Stand.
• Betting on course: bookmakers and Tote windows are part of the scene, but betting is entirely optional. If you have a bet, decide your limit before you arrive. The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland lists free support services.

If this is your first race meeting, start with our first day at the races guide. The jumps season builds towards Punchestown through the Dublin Racing Festival and the Fairyhouse Easter Festival; after it, the Flat takes centre stage with the Irish Derby Festival in June. Interested in a job in the sport? The festival is a good place to see the teams at work, and our jobs board lists current openings.