A Day Out at Bellewstown Racecourse

Getting There

Bellewstown sits on the Hill of Crockafotha near Bellewstown village, County Meath, Eircode A92 EC82. It is about 11km south of Drogheda and roughly 35 to 37km from Dublin, so most racegoers reach it easily by road from either direction.

By road

Access is via the M1 motorway. Exit at Julianstown/Drogheda South (Exit 7) and join the R132 towards Drogheda. At the Applegreen service station at Gormanston, take the immediate left signposted "Bellewstown" and follow the local signs up to the course. The Eircode A92 EC82 will bring a satnav to the racecourse. Gates open two hours before the first race each day.

By rail

The nearest station is Drogheda, on the Irish Rail network, about 11km from the course, with frequent services from Dublin and Dundalk. Some older guides mention Gormanston, but Drogheda is the practical choice. You will need onward transport from the station, and the courtesy shuttle below is the simplest option on a raceday.

By bus and shuttle

A complimentary courtesy shuttle, run by Carroll's Coach, operates from the Old Abbey car park in Drogheda. It departs one hour before the first race and returns 30 minutes after the last. Seats are first-come, first-served, so allow time if you are relying on it. Taking the train to Drogheda and then the shuttle is the easiest way to reach the course without a car.

Parking

There is ample free parking at the racecourse itself. As with any hilltop country meeting, arrive in good time on the busy festival days to get in and parked without a wait. Shuttle timings and any changes are worth confirming with the course before you travel, as arrangements can vary by fixture.

The Course Map

Bellewstown is set out on the hilltop, and that hilltop position shapes the whole day. The stands, enclosures and parade area sit together on the high ground, with the winning post at the top of the three-furlong uphill run-in. From up there you get open views across the track and out to the Mountains of Mourne to the north and the Irish Sea to the east.

Because the facilities are grouped on the hill and the course is a compact, sharp oval, you do not need to move far to follow the racing. The marquee-based hospitality, food and beverage outlets and the picnic areas are all up on the hill together, so you can settle into a spot, get a drink or a bite, and stay close to the parade area and the finish.

The track itself is a left-handed oval of about nine furlongs with a run-in of three furlongs to a slightly uphill finish. The five-furlong sprints start from a chute up on the Hill of Crockafotha, giving a steep downhill run in the opening stages before the climb home. That layout is worth knowing if you want to pick a viewing spot near the finish, where the uphill run-in tends to produce the closest finishes. For the exact current layout, the racecourse publishes its own information on bellewstownraces.ie before you travel.

Tickets and Admission

Bellewstown keeps admission simple. Rather than a series of rigid enclosures, it runs a straightforward general-admission model, which suits the informal, hilltop character of the meeting. Everyone shares the same run of the hill, the stands and the picnic areas.

General admission has been around €15 for adults, with about €8 for students and senior citizens. Accompanied children under 16 go free, which is part of what makes Bellewstown such a family-friendly day. These prices are indicative and can vary by fixture, so confirm the current rate with the course before you go.

If you plan to attend a few meetings across the season, annual membership has been around €50 for adults and €30 for students and seniors. That works out worthwhile for anyone getting to at least four of the meetings across the year, though again it is worth checking the current price and what it covers directly with the course.

For groups, Bellewstown takes corporate and hospitality bookings for parties of anywhere from 4 to 400 people on a raceday. These are built around reserved marquee seating rather than fixed suites, and the packages have included a racecard, a meal, a racing expert, an elevated viewing space, Tote facilities, full bar service and post-racing entertainment. There is more on those packages in the food and hospitality section below. Premium festival-day package prices beyond the general figures above are not published, so contact the course for a quote if you want to book a group in.

Capacity and Venue Hire

Bellewstown is well known for drawing large crowds to its July Festival, but the course does not publish an official crowd capacity, nor record or typical attendance figures. Treat any crowd numbers you see elsewhere with caution, because they are not confirmed by the racecourse.

Detail	Figure
Official crowd capacity	n/a
Record and typical attendance	n/a
Group bookings	4 to 400 people per raceday
Fixtures	8 to 9 days (April, July, August, October)

Venue Hire

The events side at Bellewstown is built around marquees rather than named function rooms or fixed suites. The course takes group bookings from 4 to 400 people on a raceday, and the packages have included reserved marquee seating, a racecard or race slip, a meal such as a BBQ or buffet, a racing expert, an elevated viewing space, Tote facilities, full bar service and post-racing entertainment.

Named individual function rooms with set banqueting or standing capacities are not published, so the marquee-based packages are the practical starting point for hosting a group. For any enquiry about hiring space or catering for a party, contact the course directly on +353 41 9823614 or through bellewstownraces.ie.

Accessibility

Bellewstown does not publish detailed accessibility information, so it is best to plan ahead and confirm what you need before you travel. There is free parking on-course, but the specifics that matter to disabled visitors are not set out in verifiable detail.

That means the course's published material does not confirm accessible parking arrangements, step-free routes across the hilltop, accessible viewing areas, accessible toilets, its assistance-dog policy or any carer or companion ticket policy. It is also worth keeping in mind that this is a hilltop country meeting on undulating ground, with marquee-based facilities rather than a modern grandstand, so surfaces underfoot can be uneven.

The honest advice is to phone the course ahead of your visit to confirm exactly what is available for your needs. You can reach Bellewstown on +353 41 9823614, and the "Plan Your Visit" and FAQ pages on bellewstownraces.ie are the places to check for any accessibility detail the course has published closer to a fixture.

Food, Bars and Hospitality

Food and drink at Bellewstown match the character of the day: informal, marquee-based and geared towards families making a summer occasion of it. The course offers marquee hospitality, food and beverage outlets and picnic areas on the hill, and the atmosphere is deliberately relaxed rather than formal.

Part of the appeal is that you can bring your own. The summer festival is long associated with picnics on the hill, strawberries and cream and live entertainment, so a picnic in the sunshine is very much in keeping with the Bellewstown tradition. Alongside that, there are food and beverage outlets on-course for anyone who would rather buy on the day. Specific named bars and restaurants with set price ranges are not published, so it is worth checking what is running at your chosen fixture.

For groups, the hospitality is built around the marquee packages. Bookings are taken for parties of 4 to 400 people, and the packages have included reserved marquee seating, a meal such as a BBQ or buffet, a racing expert, an elevated viewing space, Tote facilities, full bar service and post-racing entertainment. There is no published per-head price for these, so contact the course directly for a quote if you want to book a table or a group in for a festival day.

The Best Days to Go

Bellewstown's modern calendar runs to eight or nine days across April, July, August and October, but two occasions stand out for a first visit. The choice comes down to whether you want the buzz of the biggest festival of the year in July or the late-summer meeting in August.

Fixture	2026 dates	Why go
July Festival	2, 3 and 4 July	The biggest occasion of the year, headlined by the QuinnBet Handicap Hurdle
Country Music Xtravaganza	Sunday 5 July (13.00 to 18.00)	300th-anniversary event with acts including Mike Denver
August Meeting	Late August (2025: 26 and 27 August)	Two-day meeting headlined by the Mullacurry Cup Handicap Hurdle
April and October dates	April and October	Quieter cards to ease into or round off the season

The July Festival

The July Festival is the one to build a first trip around. Traditionally a three-day meeting in early July, it is the biggest occasion of the Bellewstown year, run on warm summer evenings in the course's long evening-racing tradition. In 2026 it runs on 2, 3 and 4 July. The headline act is the QuinnBet Handicap Hurdle, formerly the Crockafotha Handicap Hurdle, named in honour of the hill the course sits on. It has been the July highlight and a valuable prize by Bellewstown standards. Best-dressed prizes are awarded on set days across the festival. In 2026 the festival is followed by a Country Music Xtravaganza on Sunday 5 July, from 13.00 to 18.00, marking the course's 300th anniversary with acts including Mike Denver.

The August Meeting

The August meeting is traditionally two days in late August, and in 2025 it fell on 26 and 27 August. Its headline is the Mullacurry Cup Handicap Hurdle, run over about two and a half miles, which takes its name from Mullacurry, a now-defunct racecourse in County Louth. The 2025 running was won by Birmingham Alabama. Exact off-times for the headline races vary year to year, so check the card for your chosen day. Whichever meeting you pick, confirm the dates and fixtures with the course, as the calendar shifts a little from year to year.

What to Wear

Bellewstown has no dress code, so most outfits are fine. This is a country meeting on a hilltop, and the relaxed, family atmosphere means you can dress for comfort and the weather rather than to a strict standard.

That said, plenty of racegoers like to dress up, and the course rewards it. Valuable prizes are awarded on certain days for the best-dressed man, woman and couple. As an example, the Best Dressed competition on 4 July 2025 offered accommodation and dining prizes at Tankardstown House, so there is a real incentive to make an effort on the set days if you fancy it.

The practical point is the setting. Bellewstown sits on high ground, exposed to whatever the weather brings, and the ground and facilities are those of a traditional country meeting rather than a covered grandstand. Comfortable footwear suited to grass and uneven ground is a sensible call, and it is worth having a layer for the evening, since the festival racing is staged on summer evenings up on the hill. Dress up if you want to be in the running for a best-dressed prize, but keep the hilltop conditions in mind when you do.

How to Watch from Home

If you cannot make it up to the hill, Bellewstown's racing is shown on Racing TV. All Irish courses have been on Racing TV since 2019, and the racecourse promotes live coverage on Racing TV on its own site.

Racing TV is a subscription channel, available in Ireland and the UK, so you will need a subscription or a day pass to watch the fixtures live from home. It carries the course's meetings across the season, including the July Festival and the August meeting, so you can follow the headline races such as the QuinnBet Handicap Hurdle and the Mullacurry Cup Handicap Hurdle wherever you are.

There is no confirmed free-to-air coverage of Bellewstown's fixtures, so Racing TV is the place to look for live pictures. Check the channel's schedule for the exact race times on your chosen day, since off-times for the headline handicaps vary from year to year.

First-Visit Tips

Bellewstown is a friendly, easy-going place for a first visit, but a few pointers will help the day run smoothly on the hill.

Quick tips for a first trip to Bellewstown

• Come for a festival day. The July Festival and the August meeting are the occasions with the atmosphere, the crowds and the headline races.
• Plan for an evening finish. The summer festival racing is staged on warm evenings, so build your travel around a later finish, especially coming from Dublin.
• Use the shuttle. Take the train to Drogheda and the complimentary Carroll's Coach shuttle from the Old Abbey car park, which leaves an hour before the first race.
• Arrive early to park. Parking is free and gates open two hours before the first race, so get there in good time on the busy festival days.
• Bring a picnic and layers. Picnics on the hill are part of the tradition, and the exposed hilltop can turn cool in the evening.
• Confirm prices and dates. Admission has been around €15 for adults with under-16s free, but check the current rates and fixtures with the course.

Because the stands and enclosures sit together on the hilltop, you do not need to move around much to follow the racing, so pick a spot with a view of the uphill finish and settle in. Children under 16 go free, which makes it an easy family day.

On betting, keep it for entertainment rather than income. Backing favourites loses money to starting price over time, and no staking system turns a profit in the long run. Set a budget you are happy to lose, treat any winnings as a bonus, and the day stays fun whatever the results.

Where to Stay and Nearby

Bellewstown makes an easy base for a wider trip, sitting between Drogheda and Dublin with the Boyne Valley on the doorstep. Most visitors staying over base themselves in Drogheda, which has a range of hotels and is only about 11km from the course. Dublin is also within reach, roughly 35km away, if you would rather combine the racing with a city stay.

The area around the course is rich in things to see. Drogheda town itself is close by, and the Boyne coast is an easy add-on to a raceday. The wider Boyne Valley is one of Ireland's great heritage regions, with Newgrange and the Battle of the Boyne site both nearby. Many racegoers turn a Bellewstown trip into a short break by combining it with the Boyne Valley sites, the coast or a night in Dublin.

If you are coming for one of the festival days, book accommodation ahead. The July Festival in particular draws the biggest crowds of the year, so Drogheda's hotels fill up around the meeting. Reserve early for the festival dates and you can build a relaxed weekend around the racing on the hill.