Brighton Racecourse

About the venue

A racecourse 400ft up on Whitehawk Hill, a mile from the Brighton coast. Flat racing runs April to October, and outside racedays its suites, Grandstand Hall and lawns host conferences, parties and hen and stag days.

Legend says hurdle racing was born on the Downs above Brighton. The Prince of Wales, later George IV, raced here with his friends, and the story goes that they jumped the hurdles used to pen sheep.

The first official meeting was held in 1783, and racing has stayed on almost the same ground on Whitehawk Hill ever since. The course is one of the few in Britain without a complete circuit. It runs as a left-handed horseshoe of a mile and a half, rising to its highest point at the winning post.

The track sits 400ft above sea level, a mile from the coast, with views over the city, the Channel and the South Downs. The flat racing season starts in April and finishes in October, with the three-day Festival of Racing as its headline.

On racedays, guests book private executive boxes or tables in the Silks Restaurant. Hen and stag groups of ten or more get group discounts, and custom packages can add private suites.

Out of season, the Grandstand Hall and smaller suites host conferences, exhibitions, parties and proms. The outdoor space has staged film shoots, charity runs and concerts, including Rag'n'Bone Man and The Doves in 2019. There is free parking for 1,000 cars.

Racing on Whitehawk Hill since 1783

400ft above sea level, a mile from the coast

Flat racing April to October

Executive boxes and Silks Restaurant

Grandstand Hall and private suites

Hen and stag raceday packages

Summer and Christmas parties

Parking for 1,000 cars