Quick Facts about the Royal Ascot

This year’s Royal Ascot is just around the corner and coming up fast.  The event kicks off on Tuesday, the 20^th of June, and wraps up on Saturday, the 24^th.  The Royal Ascot is not only the most famous racing event every year in Great Britain, but also one of the most exciting events in the world.  Want to learn more about the Royal Ascot?  Check out these quick and fun facts and figures!

• More than 500,000 racegoers visit the Ascot Racecourse every year.  That’s 10% of all racegoers in the UK!  While other racecourses in Europe have achieved this level of attendance, Ascot was the first to do it. 

• While the Royal Ascot is an annual event, races are run throughout the year on the two tracks, named Flat and Jumps, and used for Chase and Hurdles respectively.  Likewise, the facilities at Ascot are also available year round for weddings, dinner parties, conferences, and more. 

• The course is 179 acres in total, and is leased from the Crown Estate.  The royal family remains closely connected with the event every year.

• The racecourse closed for 18 months for redevelopment on September 26^th, 2004.  The redevelopment effort cost £185 million, and was funded by Allied Irish Bank.  The racecourse was reopened by Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday, June 20^th, 2006.

• Ascot employs only 70 full-time staff members.  During the Royal Ascot event however, those numbers swell with more than 6,000 temporary workers!  While this is an astounding ratio of increase, just think of how many employees it takes to look after half a million racegoers! 

• The racecourse includes over 100 bars and restaurants and 247 private boxes.  The racecourse also includes 39 operating kitchens during the Royal Ascot.  Twenty-five of these are in the Grandstand.

• The Royal Ascot is the most valuable race in Great Britain.  More than £4.5 million in prize money is up for grabs.

• Viewers tune in to watch the Royal Ascot from more than 200 countries.  Even if you cannot go to the racecourse in person, you can tune in through Channel 4 for live coverage (perfect if you want to bet on the fixtures online).

• Ascot recorded some statistics on cuisine in 2012 which put the attendance numbers into astounding perspective.  That year, racegoers at the Royal Ascot event consumed 51,549 bottles of champagne, 2,050 kg of fresh lobster, and 30,000 chocolate choux éclairs.  They drank 173,776 draught pints of beer!

• The Royal Ascot maintains a very strict dress code, and there is an official racecourse style guide to help attendees to make the right choices.

Read also about:

• Royal Ascot 2015 facts and figures

• Royal Ascot 2016 facts and figures

As you can see, the Royal Ascot is a huge event.  If you have a chance to attend in person, it will be a week that you will never forget.  The crowds, the fashion, the food, the fun … that’s only the beginning.  The races themselves are of course the highlight, and if you decide to wager on them, you will enjoy one of the most thrilling betting events of your life! 

Read on this year's Royal Ascot Schedule Guide and the top betting sites for Royal Ascot Betting.