Visiting Cheltenham Festivals
To make your visit to Cheltenham and our Festivals as easy as possible we've pulled together all the information you'll need to get here.
Your visit
Here you will find useful information about booking with Cheltenham Festivals, how to get in touch with us and practical information for visiting the Festivals, including venue locations, local transport and car parking. Across the four Festivals there are more than a thousand events to choose from. Some basic planning with the help of the information in this section will ensure you can make the most of your time in Cheltenham.
Find out more about Our Venues including directions, parking and accessibility information.
For a comprehensive guide to the Regency town of Cheltenham, please use the Visit Cheltenham website where you will find places to stay, a list of all the independent pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants, a history of the town, ideas of extra things to do while you are here and special offers too.
To find out what else is on in the area, visit Gloucestershire’s online lifestyle magazine SoGlos.com.
Cheltenham Science Festival map
Car Parking
The easiest and simplest places to park are the two Park & Ride centres at Arle Court (GL51 6SY), just off Junction 11 of the M5 motorway, and a second at Cheltenham Racecourse (GL50 4SH).
The nearest large car parks to the Festival hubs at Imperial Gardens and Montpellier Gardens are The Regent Arcade (GL50 1JZ) and Cheltenham Walk (GL50 3PR). There are smaller car parks also in the vicinity including Rodney Road (GL50 1HX) and St George’s Road (GL50 3DT) although parking here is limited.
For people with limited mobility we recommend parking in Regent’s Arcade carpark. For more information about parking in Cheltenham visit the Cheltenham Borough Council website.
Children and Families
Cheltenham Festivals have signed up to the Family Arts Standards to ensure that we provide a warm welcome to families so here’s some helpful booking information if you're planning to visit:
- The age recommendations shown are a guide to the age group we think will enjoy the event most. They are not a restriction; you know your child best.
- Children aged 11 years and under must be accompanied by a ticket-holder aged 16 or over approved by the parent or guardian of that child. This person can accompany a maximum of six children to an event.
- Everyone over the age of 12 months is allocated a seat and requires a ticket, while babies in arms (12 months and under) do not require a ticket unless otherwise stated.
- Our prices are kept as low as possible to allow for this.
- Cheltenham Festivals maintains a Safeguarding Policy but cannot take responsibility for unsupervised children.
- Relaxed performances are open to everyone and you can find out more information about our relaxed events here.
Planning your schools visit to Cheltenham Festivals
To ensure your Learning and Participation experience is as enjoyable as possible and that your visit to Cheltenham and our Festivals is easy as it can be, we've pulled together all the information you'll need to get here.