Summary
The Goodwood Festival of Speed has no formal dress code around the estate, jump to The rules, and Goodwood says casual clothes and flat, comfortable shoes are best in the parkland. Smart casual is required in the hospitality pavilions, jump to With us, the private buildings where you eat and watch. The British Pullman, jump to The British Pullman, Belmond’s vintage train that some of our guests take to the festival, allows no jeans or trainers on board and can refuse boarding.
The 2027 festival runs from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 July. The festival centres on a hillclimb, with cars running one at a time up a narrow 1.16-mile course. The course runs through the grounds of Goodwood House, the estate’s country house near Chichester in West Sussex. Formula 1, rally, endurance and motorcycle machinery all take part. The paddocks, where the cars are kept between runs, are open to walk through. Gates typically open at 7am, the cars run from around 8.30am, and the day winds down by 7pm.
What Goodwood asks
Goodwood’s own guidance is that the festival is held outdoors and mostly in parkland. It says flat, comfortable shoes and casual clothes are best. It also says that smart casual dress is required in its corporate hospitality pavilions, which is where guests of the Clark and Moss pavilions spend the day. Beyond those two points, the outfits below are suggestions for looking right and staying comfortable through a long summer day.
The Festival of Speed is not the Goodwood Revival. The Revival is a September race meeting where visitors are encouraged to wear clothes inspired by the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Period dress is not expected at the Festival of Speed, and it is a day for summer clothes rather than costume.
Men
A tie is optional everywhere at the festival. A light jacket is still worth bringing for the morning and for the balcony later in the day.
- Around the estate and the grandstandsChinos or light trousers with a polo shirt or a short-sleeved shirt, and shoes you can walk in all day. Example: stone chinos, a navy polo and suede loafers. Or linen-mix trousers with a short-sleeved patterned shirt and white leather trainers. This suits a day spent walking between the paddocks and the grandstands, the covered tiers of seating along the hill.
- In a pavilionSmart casual is required here, so wear a lightweight jacket with an open-collared shirt and smart trousers. Example: a navy cotton blazer, a pale blue linen shirt and beige chinos with brown suede shoes. Or an unstructured grey jacket with a white shirt and navy trousers.
- On the British PullmanSmart casual or vintage, with no jeans or trainers. A jacket and tie are welcome but not essential. Example: a linen suit with a knitted tie and leather loafers, which also meets the pavilion code afterwards.
Women
Hats are optional at the Festival of Speed, though a straw hat earns its place in the July sun. Think about what you can walk in on grass before anything else.
- Around the estate and the grandstandsA summer dress, wide-leg trousers or a jumpsuit, with flat shoes or trainers. Example: a cotton midi dress with white leather trainers and a light cotton jacket. Or wide-leg linen trousers, a fitted top and flat sandals.
- In a pavilionSmart casual is required, so choose a dress or smart separates that work at a lunch table, with a layer for the balcony. Example: a printed silk midi dress with block-heel sandals. Or tailored cream trousers with a silk blouse and loafers.
- On the British PullmanSmart casual or vintage, with no jeans or trainers. Example: a tea dress with a light cardigan and low heels. A 1920s- or 1930s-inspired outfit suits the carriages too. Leave denim at home, because Belmond’s list covers it.
Dressing for a day on the estate
The festival covers a large area of parkland, and the paddocks, the grandstands and the hospitality are spread across it. Most of the ground is grass and can be soft after rain. Flat shoes, smart trainers or block heels make more sense than thin heels.
Shoes you can walk in
You will cover a lot of ground between the paddocks, the grandstands and your pavilion.
Sun cream and a hat
Goodwood recommends both in warm weather, along with a reusable water bottle for the free refill points.
A light layer and a packable raincoat
A summer morning can start cool, and a shower is always possible. Every grandstand is covered.
Ear protection
The cars are loud. Goodwood hands out free foam earplugs at the entrances, the information booths and from grandstand marshals.
The British Pullman
On Saturday 17 July some of our guests travel to the festival on the British Pullman, Belmond’s train of restored 1920s and 1930s carriages, from London Victoria to Chichester and back the same day. A coach takes you between Chichester station and Goodwood. Brunch is served on the way down, with a Bellini, and dinner with sommelier-chosen wines on the way home.
The dress code for the journey is smart casual or vintage, with no jeans or trainers on board. Belmond also asks guests to avoid baseball caps, collarless T-shirts and shorts. It can ask a guest who is not suitably dressed to change, or refuse them boarding. Guests on the train must be 11 or older. It suits a London group that wants the day to start and end at a table, with the festival in the middle.
Common clothing mistakes
Dressing for the Revival
Period costume belongs at the Revival in September. At the Festival of Speed, summer clothes are the norm.
Jeans or trainers on the train
They are fine on the estate, but the British Pullman does not allow them on board.
Thin heels on grass
They sink into soft ground. Flats, smart trainers and block heels last the day.
No layer for the evening
The balconies and the train home can be cooler than the middle of the day.
Festival of Speed with us
The Clark Pavilion sits at Molecomb Corner, one of the hardest points on the hill, with a balcony and gardens looking over it. The day starts with hot and cold breakfast and a Veuve Clicquot reception. Lunch is three courses, and a light afternoon tea follows later. The complimentary bar serves selected Champagne, beers, wines and soft drinks. It suits a group that wants to watch the cars at the hill’s toughest corner between courses.
The Moss Pavilion is by the start line and the Supercar Paddock, where the road supercars are kept between runs. Its balconies look down onto the hill as the cars climb close below. The day includes a light breakfast, a set plated lunch and afternoon cakes. The complimentary bar serves selected beers, wines and soft drinks. It suits a group that wants to be where the cars launch.
The Speed Library Lawn is in the private gardens of Goodwood House and is run as a garden party, with a buffet brunch, a welcome drink and afternoon tea with Champagne. It includes roving access to all 12 covered grandstands along the hill, so you can move between them through the day. It suits a group that would rather spend the day in the gardens and walk out to the hill when something catches their interest.
If you tell us the day and the size of your group, we will come back with what is available.
Daniella McBride
Sales Manager
Sales Manager at Imperial Corporate Events. Whatever you’re booking, sport or music, she’s easy to plan with and stays on it until it’s right.
