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Ladies' Day brings out the fashion at Cheltenham

News imagePA Media A young woman with long brown hair and a brown trilby-style hat at the Cheltenham Festival 2026. PA Media
The second day of the annual festival provides a reason to dress up

Ladies' Day is making a comeback at the Cheltenham Festival this year, with the outfits getting as much attention as the races themselves.

The festival, which began on Tuesday, attracts hundreds of thousands of ticket holders to the course at Prestbury in Gloucestershire.

It will culminate with the sold-out Gold Cup day in front of 70,000 racing fans on Friday.

Last year Ladies' Day was rebranded as "Style Wednesday" but has returned to its traditional name this year, with cash prizes on offer for the best outfits.

News imagePA Media Queen Camilla on day two of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse. She is wearing a beige coat and a dark hat with feathers on.PA Media
Queen Camilla arrives at the racecourse for day two of the festival
News imagePA Media Zara Tindall wears sunglasses and a red felt hat with a red fascinator on top as she arrives at Cheltenham 2026PA Media

Zara Tindall, the King's eldest niece, was also among the special guests at the Prestbury racecourse.

News imagePA Media A young woman with wavy blonde hair smiles as she poses for the camera at Ladies Day at the Cheltenham Festival 2026. She is wearing a plum red berry-style beret with feathers attached to it, and a jacket that matches her hatPA Media
News imagePA Media A line of women laugh as they pose for the camera at the start of Ladies' Day at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. Some of them have bright yellow or blue outfits on, and all of them are wearing bright fascinators on their headsPA Media
News imagePA Media A woman with large sunglasses and a white, fluffy hat poses for the camera as Ladies' Day gets under way at the Cheltenham Festival. Behind her is a mixture of blue sky and cloudPA Media

Hats off to them: Ladies' Day always attracts some eye-catching outfits and headgear, and this year has proved no different. Many racegoers were through the gates early on Wednesday to show off their finery.

News imagePA Media Four women, three of them young and one slightly older, smile as they stand arm in arm at the Cheltenham Festival. They are all wearing smart dark jackets and hats or fascinatorsPA Media
News imagePA Media A woman with a black and white checked jacket holds onto a dramatic piece of headgear at the second day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. The hat is made of long, curling pieces of black and purple materialPA Media
News imageReuters Two men face each other as they chat while holding drinks. One has a shiny orange formal suit on, while the other is wearing a light blue suit with colourful emblems on itReuters

Suits you sir: While Tuesday is all about the ladies, some of the male racegoers also made some bold fashion statements.

News imagePA Media Darts star Luke Littler walks into the Cheltenham Festival, with his other guests either side. He is wearing a dark blue suit and waistcoat, a white shirt and dark pink tie and sunglassesPA Media
Darts player Luke Littler was among the VIP guests on Tuesday
News imagePA Media A horse and rider are silhouetted against a bright sky early in the morning on day two of the Cheltenham Festival 2026PA Media
News imageFive young women pose with their hands on their hips side on to the camera. They are all wearing tweed or smart jackets and dresses with hats and fascinators.
News imageSix women of various ages all wearing fascinators with feather details smile at the camera. They are wearing smart coats and jumpers and skirts or dresses.
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