Kempton Park races on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December 2026: King George VI Chase day, then Kauto Star Chase day. Parking may cost over the festival.

The Ladbrokes Christmas Festival at Kempton Park runs over Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December 2026. Boxing Day is King George VI Chase day, the 27th is Kauto Star Chase day, and there are 12 races across the two days. The course is on Staines Road East in Sunbury-on-Thames, TW16 5AQ, which makes it the biggest sporting fixture in the borough by a distance.

Both dates are confirmed on the racecourse’s own festival page.

The two days

Saturday 26 December, King George VI Chase day. The Grade 1 Ladbrokes King George VI Chase is the centrepiece, and the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle is on the same card. The racecourse bills it as the busier and bigger of the two days.

Sunday 27 December, Kauto Star Chase day. The Grade 2 Ladbrokes Desert Orchid Chase runs on day two. The Jockey Club describes it as having a more relaxed feel than Boxing Day, which in practice is the day to pick if you are bringing children or want room to move.

The Jukebox Man won the 2025 King George. The racecourse credits the win to “Ben Jones, Ben Pauling and Harry Redknapp”.

Enclosures, and which one to buy

Five enclosures are sold, and the differences are worth reading before you book, because the cheap one and the expensive one are on opposite sides of the grandstand.

  • Paddock Enclosure: the value option. Views from the grandstand apron, access to the bookmakers’ pitches, the pre-parade ring, parade ring and winners’ enclosure, plus bars and food outlets.
  • Premier Enclosure: the first floor of the grandstand, viewing nearest the winning post, everything the Paddock gets.
  • Premier Seats: Premier admission with a guaranteed seat for the day.
  • Kauto Club: Premier admission, the Kauto Star Bar, a racecard, a window into the weighing room, and one complimentary Ladbrokes Trophy Day ticket per booking.
  • Festival Enclosure: Boxing Day only. Views of the home straight and in particular the last fence, a small range of food and bar outlets, and a small covered unreserved seating area.

Prices are only shown inside The Jockey Club’s booking system, which does not render without JavaScript, so we are not quoting a figure here. Book through the racecourse rather than a resale site.

Parking, and the one Christmas exception

Kempton parks free on ordinary race days, signposted on the approach. During the Ladbrokes Christmas Festival, the racecourse says parking charges may apply. That is the single detail most likely to catch out someone who has been to a summer evening meeting and assumes it is free again.

Blue Badge holders can park in designated bays as long as the badge is on display, and priority parking for owners, trainers and disabled badge holders is reached through Gate 1 in Park Road.

Kempton Park falls outside the Ultra Low Emission Zone, so there is no ULEZ charge driving there from Staines, Ashford or Shepperton. The course is on the A308 between Sunbury-on-Thames and Hampton Court, under a mile from junction 1 of the M3 via junction 12 of the M25.

Kempton Park station sits inside the racecourse car park, a short walk from the North Entrance, which is a genuine advantage on a Boxing Day fixture when the car park fills. Check National Rail for the Boxing Day and 27 December timetable, because services on those two days are never the normal ones.

For town centre car parks and the tariffs that changed on 8 September, see parking in Staines. For anything else on the roads that week, see Staines roadworks and travel.

Practical rules

  • Cashless. Card only for tickets, racecards, food and drink. Cash works only with the on-course bookmakers.
  • Children. Under-18s can attend most fixtures free when accompanying an adult, with the free under-18 ticket added to the basket alongside an adult one. The racecourse warns that a limited number of racedays charge for child tickets and that children’s tickets can be capped at high-demand fixtures. Check the specific raceday before assuming a free child ticket on Boxing Day.
  • Supervision. Under-18s must be with a responsible adult aged 21 or over, or their parent, three under-18s per adult. Under-16s must stay with that adult all day. Sixteen and 17 year olds can move around alone but their adult must still be on site.
  • Walk-ups. Available for racedays that have not sold out, card payment only. The racecourse recommends booking in advance to speed up entry.
  • Tickets arrive by email to print or show on a phone, through The Jockey Club app, or by post.

Sources