Over 130,000 racegoers get ready to descend on Ballybrit
TRIBES Tuesday and newly revamped bar and betting facilities are among the improvements and initiatives made at Galway Racecourse ahead of the 2026 festival next week.
Around 130,000 spectators are expected on course for the event, which begins on Monday July 27, to enjoy the 54 races, 50 live music acts, alongside the many style competitions.
Galway Racecourse Chief Executive Michael Maloney told The Tuam Herald visitors can expect several new and improved additions to the enclosure.
“We have revamped the bar on the ground floor of the Killanin Stand. It will have a lot more seats and I think it could become a place people will not want to leave once they enter it,” he explained.
“A new cocktail bar should add a splash of colour to the middle of the enclosure. Cocktails are so popular these days so if we get the weather, I expect this bar to be full all week.
Ticket sales have been strong for all seven days of the festival. Hospitality is near capacity; seats are sold out on some days in the Millenium Stand, while the Parade Lounge package is proving popular.
The team at Ballybrit have put an additional emphasis on Day Two for 2026, introducing their new initiative Tribes Tuesday. Sports clubs were invited to sell tickets to players, coaches, supporters and family members, with €7.50 of each ticket sold going back to the club.
Clubs such as All-Ireland Club Camogie Champions Athenry, Annaghdown GAA and Tuam AC will be competing in the Five Grand Challenge on Tuesday. Teams will tackle four gruelling trials - hang tough, wall squat, horse rodeo, and a sprint up the home straight in a bid to win the prize.
“It's only year one of this initiative, so it might take time to build it up. Clubs will have a better grip of how it works next year so hopefully more teams get behind it. It’s a chance to fundraise and potentially win some prize money too,” added Mr Maloney.
“A lot of clubs have signed up it this year, including many from North Galway so I hope it will be a success. The Galway Races has always valued its commitment to giving back to the community and this is our latest way of doing it. Hopefully it will continue to be well received.”
Racing purists will once again be looking forward to Day Three of the festival and the iconic Galway Plate. At the time of print, the Willie Mullins' trained Funiculi Funicula is the current favourite for the race which boasts €270,000 in prize money.
Wednesday is also Country Music Day, with Michael English set to headline a stage graced by the likes of Nathan Carter, Derek Ryan, Mike Denver and Claudia and Jimmy Buckley in recent years.
While racing fans will be keen to find the winner of the Galway Hurdle, with Gordon Elliot’s El Cairos the ante post favourite, Day Four is also Ladies Day.
Thousands will flock to the course to see who wins Best Dressed and Best Hat, with the sponsors, Irish skincare brand Ella and Jo, putting up prizes of €10,000 and €3,000.
The fashion stakes continue into Friday, which has become one of the most attended days of racing anywhere in Ireland.
It features the the Athlone Towncentre Most Stylish competition which offers a prize of €3,000 Gift Card for the shopping mall, a luxury two-night break in the four-star Sheraton Athlone Hotel in a Deluxe Tower Room with dinner and spa treatments.
“Ladies Day is when the fashion takes over Ballybrit and people will always love taking part in this competition, but Friday has really taken on a life of its own in recent years. People love to come for an evening’s racing after work,” noted the racecourse CEO.