Royal Ascot is a five-day horse racing festival held each June at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, attended by the British Royal Family. The 2026 meeting runs June 16–20. Renowned for its strict dress code, elaborate hats, and world-class flat racing, Royal Ascot attracts over 280,000 racegoers and more than 300 horses from across the globe. The Gold Cup on Ladies' Day (Thursday) is the social highlight of the week.
Royal Ascot 2026 runs from Tuesday June 16 to Saturday June 20, 2026 at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, England.
Royal Ascot has strict dress codes by enclosure. The Royal Enclosure requires formal morning dress for men and dresses or skirts with a hat or headpiece for women. Other enclosures have formal to smart casual requirements.
The Gold Cup (Group 1, 2.5 miles) on Thursday is the most prestigious race. Other highlights include the Queen Anne Stakes, St James's Palace Stakes, and the Royal Hunt Cup.
Use the live countdown above to see the exact number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds until Royal Ascot.
The first race at Royal Ascot starts at 2:30 PM BST (UTC+1) each day.