Galway Races

Racing has been held at Ballybrit since 1869 and the summer festival now runs seven consecutive days from the last Monday in July, drawing well over a hundred thousand people across the week. The two big days are the Galway Plate on Wednesday, a steeplechase first run in 1869, and the Galway Hurdle on Thursday; Ladies Day on Thursday is the fashion event and the busiest. It is as much a social occasion as a sporting one - Galway effectively pauses for the week, the pubs run extended hours, and for decades a political tent at the course was a fixture of Irish public life until it was wound up in 2008. The practical realities are worth knowing: the course is packed, queues for everything are long, drinking is heavy, and accommodation in Galway during race week is scarce and priced accordingly.

What you actually see

• The Galway Plate and Hurdle - the two feature races, Wednesday and Thursday.
• Ladies Day - the fashion event and the week's biggest crowd.
• The seven-day format - unusually long for an Irish festival meeting.
• The city on pause - Galway running on race week for the duration.

When to go

The last week of July into early August. Wednesday and Thursday are the big days and sell out; Monday and the later days are quieter and easier.

Honest expectations

Enormously crowded on the feature days, with long queues for bars, food and transport. Heavy drinking is part of the culture. Accommodation is scarce and expensive across the whole city. Book transport in advance.

Nearby

Galway city is a short bus ride; the Arts Festival runs earlier the same month.