Grand National

Grand National takes place Apr 8 - 10, 2027 (Grand National on Sat Apr 10) in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The dress code is No strict code on course enclosures; Ladies Day (Fri) is famously dressy with occasion dresses, heels and hats for women and suits for men. Hospitality suites require smart or formal dress and no fancy dress. Typical cost ranges from 300 to 1800 EUR per person.

Grand National in Liverpool, United Kingdom
Photograph by Ballabriggs.jpg: Carine06 derivative work: Tbmurray (talk), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia.

The world's most famous steeplechase, roughly four and a quarter miles over 30 uniquely shaped fences including Becher's Brook and the Canal Turn, run on the Saturday afternoon of Aintree's three-day April festival. The distance and the fences make it the one race where any of 30-plus runners genuinely has a chance, which is why the whole country bets on it. Standing at the elbow as the survivors turn for home is one of the great sporting experiences.

When
Apr 8 - 10, 2027 (Grand National on Sat Apr 10)
Where
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Dress code
No strict code on course enclosures; Ladies Day (Fri) is famously dressy with occasion dresses, heels and hats for women and suits for men. Hospitality suites require smart or formal dress and no fancy dress
Cost
Typical cost ranges from 300 to 1800 EUR per person.
Weather
8 - 13C, cool and changeable with a real chance of wind and rain
When to book
Tickets release roughly a year ahead with cheapest tiers selling first; book Liverpool hotels and trains 6+ months out
Getting there
LPL (Liverpool John Lennon), 30 min to venue
Where to stay
Titanic Hotel Liverpool, The Municipal Hotel Liverpool, Hope Street Hotel
Official site
https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/aintree/

How to attend

Buy general admission or grandstand tickets in advance from the Jockey Club Aintree site, where the cheapest early-bird tiers go first. Day tickets typically start around the equivalent of EUR 40 - 60 with hospitality packages running into several hundred per person. Fully open to the public with no ballot. Race-day trains run from Liverpool Central to Aintree station; book city hotels months in advance.

Buy tickets

Insider tip

Walk out to the Canal Turn - it is included in general admission, the field comes past twice at close range, and you avoid the crush around the grandstand and the parade ring.

Get inside Grand National

Booking matters here: tickets release roughly a year ahead with cheapest tiers selling first; book Liverpool hotels and trains 6+ months out. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.

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