Is restaurant-style dining more or less private than a private box?

A restaurant table is the less private of the two. It sits in a dining room used by several parties, so the group keeps its table rather than the room. What it gains is atmosphere, a busier setting with service brought to the table through the afternoon. A private box keeps the group to itself all day.

Which format has the best view of the racecourse?

A private box typically has the most direct view, with a balcony over the course used by one group only. Restaurant views differ from room to room, so the outlook is worth checking against the specific restaurant when a table is chosen.

Which days of the Cheltenham Festival can hospitality be arranged for?

The 2027 Festival runs across four days: Champion Day on Tuesday 16 March, Ladies Day on Wednesday 17 March, St Patrick's Thursday on 18 March and Gold Cup Day on Friday 19 March. Both formats exist at the Festival, and availability for a chosen day and format is confirmed with Prestige.

Are Cheltenham Racecourse's own restaurants the same as Prestige's hospitality packages?

No. The Panoramic Restaurant and the Chez Roux Restaurant are the racecourse's own dining rooms, run under its name rather than arranged by Prestige. Prestige puts its corporate packages together separately, built around the same two formats of private box and restaurant table.

Is alcohol included in Cheltenham hospitality dining, and is there an age restriction?

Dining packages that include wine, champagne or other alcoholic drinks are served to over-18s only, under a Challenge 25 policy: guests who appear under 25 may be asked for ID before being served. This applies across every hospitality format and every day of the Festival.

Which format suits a large client-entertaining group?

A private box, in most cases. The group has the space to itself all day, so hosting, conversation and the pace of the afternoon stay entirely within it. A restaurant table works for a group happy to sit within a bigger, livelier room, with dining laid on at its table rather than in a space of its own.

Cheltenham Racecourse Private Boxes & Dining

Q: What is a private box at Cheltenham Racecourse?

A private box is a self-contained space that one group has to itself for the raceday, with a balcony over the course and its own dining area. No other party is seated in it, so the group has privacy from arrival through to the last race. Group size and layout are confirmed with Prestige.

Q: Is Cheltenham Racecourse hospitality accessible?

Both the private box and the restaurant formats are covered by the accessibility provisions in place at Cheltenham Racecourse. Anyone with a specific access requirement should confirm it with the racecourse directly before the visit, and the Cheltenham Racecourse venue page sets out the full detail.

Published: 23 July 2026

Cheltenham Racecourse hospitality is sold in two broad formats: private boxes and restaurant dining. A private box gives one group exclusive use of a balcony space overlooking the course, with its own dining area. Restaurant dining puts a group at its own table in a larger room alongside other parties. Choosing between them is mainly a question of privacy: how much the day needs, and what the occasion calls for.

What hospitality formats are available at Cheltenham Racecourse?

Hospitality at Cheltenham Racecourse comes in two forms, the private box and the restaurant package, and exclusivity is what separates them. A box belongs to one group for the whole day, balcony included. A restaurant package books a table inside a room that several parties share, so the group keeps its table rather than the room. Prestige Corporate Events arranges corporate hospitality around both at the Cheltenham Festival.

What is a private box at Cheltenham Racecourse?

A private box gives one group exclusive use of a dedicated space for the day, typically with its own balcony overlooking the course and a dining area serviced separately from the wider racecourse. Nobody else is seated in the room. That suits a group wanting the whole visit to itself, from arrival through to the last race. Exact group size and layout are confirmed with Prestige.

What does restaurant-style dining involve on a Cheltenham raceday?

Restaurant-style dining means a reserved table in a dining room used by several parties at once, with table service running through the afternoon between races. It is the busier and more sociable of the two, and the privacy stops at the table rather than covering the whole room. Views vary from one restaurant to another, so it pays to check where a particular room sits in relation to the course.

Formats compared: exclusivity, dining style and view

Cheltenham Racecourse hospitality formats compared

Format	Exclusivity	Dining style	View of the course	Best suited to
Private box	Held by one group for the whole day	Private dining service in the group's own space	Private balcony overlooking the course	Client entertaining, celebrations, groups wanting full privacy
Restaurant table	Reserved table in a shared dining room	Table service across the afternoon	Differs by restaurant	Groups wanting a sociable raceday lunch

Which format suits client entertaining, staff reward or a celebration?

Client entertaining and milestone celebrations tend to point towards a private box, where the group keeps its own space for the whole day and conversation stays within it. A staff reward day often works better in a restaurant, where the buzz of a shared room is half the enjoyment. Privacy is the variable here, not the standard of the day.

How do Prestige packages differ from the racecourse's own restaurants?

Cheltenham Racecourse runs restaurants under its own names, among them the Panoramic Restaurant and the Chez Roux Restaurant. Those are the racecourse's own, and they are not what Prestige arranges. Prestige builds its own Cheltenham Festival hospitality for corporate groups, using the same two formats: a private box, or a table in a restaurant.

Is alcohol included in dining packages, and are there any restrictions?

Where a dining package includes wine, champagne or other alcoholic drinks, alcohol is served to over-18s only and service follows a Challenge 25 policy: any guest who appears to be under 25 may be asked for ID before being served. This applies across both hospitality formats and every day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Which Cheltenham Festival day should a private box or dining group choose?

The Cheltenham Festival runs over four days: Champion Day, Ladies Day, St Patrick's Thursday and Gold Cup Day. Each has its own feature race and a character to match. Both hospitality formats, private box and restaurant table, run across the Festival. Groups weighing up which day to attend, rather than which format to take, can compare all four on the Cheltenham Festival day-by-day guide.

Accessibility across Cheltenham Racecourse hospitality

Accessibility provisions apply across Cheltenham Racecourse hospitality and cover both the private box and the restaurant formats. Anyone with a specific access requirement should confirm it directly with the racecourse ahead of the visit. The Cheltenham Racecourse venue page carries the full accessibility detail.