The Derby is the cheapest ticket in Epsom’s year. The ordinary April fixture costs more.
The Betfred Derby Festival, Friday 4 and Saturday 5 June 2027: from £20.
Epsom Downs Season Opener, Road to the Derby, 20 April 2027: from £27.
So the most famous flat race in the world undercuts a routine Tuesday in spring by seven pounds. That is the opposite of how every other great sporting occasion is priced, and it happens because Epsom is an enormous open hill with room for an enormous crowd.
A third fixture, the Bank Holiday Family Raceday on 30 August 2027, completes the headline calendar.
The Hill is its own place
Epsom is unusual among racecourses in giving The Hill its own top-level section in its navigation, separate from the enclosures and stands.
That is because the Derby has always been watched from the open downs as much as from the grandstand, and the Hill is a different kind of day out: a crowd, picnics, fairground, and the race going past at the bottom of it.
Epsom also publishes a page for Open Top Buses and Coaches, which tells you something about how people traditionally watch from up there. If you are planning a Hill day, those two pages are the ones to read, and the arrangements are set out there rather than with the grandstand tickets.
A pass for 18 to 24 year olds across thirteen racecourses
The best-value thing the Jockey Club offers, and it is filed under memberships where nobody looks.
RacePass 18 to 24 is a Jockey Club scheme rather than an Epsom one, which means it covers their whole group: Epsom Downs, Kempton Park, Sandown Park, Cheltenham, Aintree, Newmarket, Haydock Park, Carlisle, Huntingdon, Market Rasen, Nottingham, Exeter, Warwick and Wincanton.
If you are in that age bracket and go racing more than once or twice a year anywhere in the country, that is the first thing to price.
There is also Rewards4Racing, a points scheme, and Epsom publishes separate Student Discount and Concessions pages under its racing section.
You can send a ticket to someone else
Epsom runs Digital Ticket Sharing through its racecourse app.
Worth knowing for a group booking, because it means one person can buy and then pass individual tickets out rather than standing at the gate waiting for everybody. Few racecourses publish this as a named feature.
Hospitality, and what the rooms are called
If someone offers you a name rather than a price, this is what they mean:
1780 is the premium package, named for the year of the first Derby. The Duchess’s Stand Private Box Package and Private Boxes at The Derby are the box routes. The Views and the Derby Suite are the restaurant-style options, and Chez Roux at Blue Riband is the Roux family’s dining room at the course.
Group bookings, dining experiences and meetings-into-racing packages run alongside.
Dress code and style
Epsom publishes a dress code page and separately a Raceday Style page, plus Style Awards at the Derby Festival.
The practical point is that Epsom’s code is far lighter than Ascot’s, which has a different set of rules for every enclosure in every season. Read the Epsom page for your enclosure, and do not assume Ascot’s rules apply here, because they do not.
The rest of the year
Epsom runs Christmas parties on 27 and 28 November and 4 and 5 December 2026, and the course does conferences, exhibitions, award ceremonies, team building and product launches through its venue hire side.
Some Epsom fixtures are designated Premier Racedays, part of a programme covering 36 racecourses and 170 racedays nationally.
How to plan it
Cheapest big day: the Derby Festival, from £20, which beats the April opener at £27.
Aged 18 to 24: RacePass, valid across fourteen Jockey Club courses.
Watching from the Hill: read the Hill and the Open Top Buses pages, which are separate from grandstand tickets.
A group: use Digital Ticket Sharing rather than meeting everyone at the gate.
A student: there is a separate student discount page.
Dressing: read Epsom’s own code, not Ascot’s.
Epsom Downs Racecourse
- Address
- Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom, Surrey KT18 5LQ
- Nearest
- Epsom Downs and Tattenham Corner, with Epsom town station a longer walk
- Hours
- By fixture. The Betfred Derby Festival is Friday 4 and Saturday 5 June 2027, the Season Opener 20 April 2027 and the Bank Holiday Family Raceday 30 August 2027
- Booking
- Online, with Digital Ticket Sharing through the racecourse app for groups. Hospitality includes 1780, the Duchess’s Stand, The Views, the Derby Suite and Chez Roux at Blue Riband
- Price
- Derby Festival from 20 pounds, Season Opener from 27 pounds. RacePass 18 to 24 covers fourteen Jockey Club racecourses. Separate student discount and concessions pages
- Standing
- Home of the Derby since 1780, run by the Jockey Club, with the open Hill as a separate area from the enclosures
How to get in
The Derby Festival starts at 20 pounds while the ordinary April fixture starts at 27, so the biggest race of the year is the cheapest ticket on the calendar. The Hill has its own section in Epsom’s navigation, alongside a page for open top buses and coaches. The dress code is far lighter than Ascot’s.
Where to go next
Ascot is the other racecourse within reach of London, with a far more complicated dress code.
Lord’s, the Oval and Twickenham cover the other sporting days out.
Questions we get asked
How much are Epsom Derby tickets?
The Betfred Derby Festival on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 June 2027 starts from £20. That is cheaper than Epsom's own Season Opener on 20 April 2027, which starts from £27, so the Derby is the least expensive headline fixture of the year.
Can you watch the Derby from the Hill at Epsom?
The Hill is a long-standing part of Derby Day and Epsom gives it its own section in their navigation, separate from the enclosures and stands, along with a page covering open top buses and coaches. Arrangements and any charges are set out on those pages rather than with grandstand tickets.
Is there a young person's racing pass at Epsom?
Yes, RacePass 18 to 24, which is a Jockey Club scheme rather than an Epsom-only one. It covers their fourteen racecourses including Epsom Downs, Kempton Park, Sandown Park, Cheltenham, Aintree and Newmarket. Epsom also publishes separate student discount and concessions pages.
What is the dress code at Epsom?
Epsom publishes its own dress code page plus a Raceday Style page, and runs Style Awards at the Derby Festival. It is considerably lighter than Ascot's, which varies by enclosure and by season, so do not assume Ascot's rules apply.
Can you share Epsom tickets with other people?
Yes. Epsom runs Digital Ticket Sharing through its racecourse app, so one person can buy for a group and send individual tickets out rather than everyone meeting at the gate.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 283 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
