Being entirely reliant on live attendances, horse racing has had to work hard to build back its audience since the turn of the decade. It’s had to compete with much more grandiose in-person experiences, like mega concert tours, while trying to stay true to the roots of the sport and experience at the racecourse.

Horse racing remains the second-most popular spectator sport in the UK – only trailing football – with a peak of six million people attending each year. In 2025, a significant gain was made to get back to five million, with a lot of this being powered by grounds leaning into special events and lifestyle experiences to complement the racing.

Events, Food Halls & More

Racecourse owners have looked to include more and more options that can nestle between and around each race to add more options for attendees to enjoy. After all, there’s a fair bit of time between each race; the racecard will take place over several hours, and it doesn’t take long to place a bet.

One of the big names to emerge from this trend is Boxpark. The food hall company that brings with it bars, street food vendors, and live entertainment has now extended its run at Aintree Racecourse. In partnership with the Jockey Club, Boxpark is now in a multi-year deal to deliver food, drinks, and entertainment to the Grand National.

Notably, horse racing isn’t the only live sporting event that Boxpark has found its services suited to. The brand is also a top pick for Silverstone where the British Grand Prix took place last weekend. Here at Ludlow Racecourse, a similar pattern has unfolded. Ludlow Brewery Day, for example, brings a popular day out to the course between race meets.

Powering Growth Beyond The Racetrack

Sport has become a multi-platform affair these days, with venues, teams, athletes, and everyone in between encouraged to engage with fans across several online platforms. Posting videos on YouTube, announcing events on social media, and teaming up with streaming platforms like Netflix to make docu-series are all part of the model.

Horse racing, despite its more traditional preferences, has been keen to embrace this newer state of play. Alongside this, and recognising the popularity of the sport, digital creators are now drawing from horse racing. A prime example of this is found on the platform with bingo offers for new players.

With £10 played on bingo, new players get a £40 bonus on top, offering more time to experience the classic game. It’s on this site that Slingo Racing, Big Bass Raceday Repeat, and Gold Trio Leprechaun’s Luck Race Bonanza continue to appeal to players, offering a combination of slots or slingo play with the iconic British sport.

Emphasis in the digital space on how enjoyable the sport and day at the tracks can be will translate to more interest in attending. People can essentially dip their toes in at their convenience online, but can then come to the tracks to get the full day out and promised experience of top-tier racing and event-like attractions.

Horse racing continues to make its grand comeback, and thanks to the inclusion of extras and events at the tracks, more and more people are seeing racecourses as great choices for a lifestyle-driven day out.