Bucket list experience:
The world’s greatest celebration of motorsport and racing, the Festival of Speed takes place annually in the grounds of the Goodwood Estate. Home to its own racetrack, Goodwood hosts supercars and rally vehicles, pitting them against each other on a variety of terrain over the three-day festival.
Alongside the racing, there’s the chance to get up close to the latest F1 cars, and meet some of the drivers, as well as some of the biggest names from the past. There’s plenty of hands-on experiences in the Future Lab and First Glance Paddock, giving both kids and adults the chance to try (virtually) handling everything from a supercar to a classic vintage racer.
The country lanes that lead to Goodwood can get very congested on the festival weekend, so leave plenty of time if you’re driving. Car parks open at 6.30am, so you can avoid the worst of the traffic if you aim to arrive first thing in the morning. Alternatively, leave the car at home and take the train to Chichester (around ninety minutes from London Victoria); there are constant free shuttle buses from the station to the Estate.
Tickets are sold directly through the Estate’s website and can be for one day or all four. Book as soon as tickets go on sale, as demand is high. Grandstand passes can be bought at the same time as general admission tickets but these are limited in number, and go extremely quickly.
The Festival of Speed is a hugely popular event and always sells out, so expect it to be crowded. The Thursday and Friday are always quieter than the weekend, but it’s a relative thing – the festival site is busy from the moment it opens on Thursday morning to the close of play on Sunday.
The event takes place from Thursday to Sunday on the last weekend of June or first weekend of July.
Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Arundel, West Sussex, United Kingdom (UK)[14.5 miles]
Luxury and history combine at this authentic 900-year-old castle, complete with beamed bedroom, suits of armour in the dining room, gleaming wood panelling and ornate tapestries.
Official star rating:
Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom (UK)[1.6 miles]
The only historic motorsport celebration in the world entirely in vintage dress, the Revival is a three-day dip into racing’s glamorous past.
Best for ages: 6+ | £45 | 3 days
Arundel, West Sussex , United Kingdom (UK)[13.1 miles]
Home to 1,000 years of history, Arundel Castle is one of the most picturesque in England. Home to the Dukes of Norfolk for over 850 years, the castle houses a fine collection of art.
Best for ages: 10+ | £20
