Summary
The Royal Ascot dress code depends on your enclosure, the area of the racecourse your booking admits you to. The Royal Enclosure asks men for morning dress and a top hat. It asks women for a hat, or a headpiece with a solid base at least 4 inches (10cm) across, and a fascinator alone will not pass. The Queen Anne Enclosure asks men for a full suit and tie and lets women wear a fascinator. The Village asks men for a jacket or blazer with full-length trousers or chinos, and a tie, bow tie or cravat. A cravat is a wide neckcloth worn in place of a tie. The Windsor has no official code. Jump to Men, jump to Men or Women, jump to Women below.
Royal Ascot runs from Tuesday 15 to Saturday 19 June 2027, and the dress code is the same on all five days. Each of the four enclosures sets its own rules, and they are checked at the gate. The Royal, Queen Anne and Village enclosures each publish two codes, one headed Ladies and one headed Gentlemen. Every guest can follow whichever of the two they prefer, as long as they follow it in full.
Everything below is taken from Ascot's current published dress code. The 2027 meeting follows those rules unless Ascot announces a change, and we confirm the code for your enclosure when we take you through your booking.
Which enclosure, which code
- Royal EnclosureMorning dress and a top hat for men. For women, a hat or a headpiece on a base at least 4 inches (10cm) across, and a dress whose shoulder straps are at least 1 inch (2.5cm) wide.
- Queen Anne EnclosureA full suit and a tie for men. For women, a dress or top and skirt on shoulder or halter straps, a matching trouser suit or a jumpsuit, worn with a hat, headpiece or fascinator.
- Village EnclosureA jacket or blazer, full-length trousers or chinos, and a tie, bow tie or cravat for men. Women follow the Queen Anne rules, so a fascinator passes here too.
- Windsor EnclosureThere is no official code. Ascot encourages smart daywear, and a hat or fascinator for anyone who wants one.
The Royal, Queen Anne and Village codes all refuse trainers, denim, leggings and shorts. Fancy dress, novelty and branded or promotional clothing are not permitted anywhere on site. Ascot's Windsor page lists nothing else as not permitted.
Overseas visitors can wear the formal national dress of their country, and if it has no hat or headpiece, none is needed. Religious headdress is accepted in place of a hat or headpiece in every enclosure.
Private boxes and restaurants
A private box or restaurant follows the code of the enclosure it sits in. Ascot's private boxes are on levels 2 to 6 of the Grandstand, and each one belongs to either the Royal Enclosure or the Queen Anne Enclosure. The Panoramic restaurant on Level 6 is inside the Royal Enclosure, so its guests follow the Royal Enclosure code. That means morning dress for anyone following the Gentlemen code. The Lawn Club, The Gallery, On-5, the Pavilion and the Furlong are Queen Anne restaurants. The Restaurant in the Village sits in the Village Enclosure.
Inside a box or restaurant, men can take their top hats off, and everything else in the code still applies. When we confirm a booking, we tell you which code your box or table follows.
We arrange tables in the Queen Anne restaurants and in the Panoramic, the option inside the Royal Enclosure. We also arrange the Restaurant in the Village. Our private boxes seat ten to fourteen, and each has its own bar, dining area and balcony. A resident tipster, a racing expert who talks you through the runners, is on hand through the racing. Our own team is at the racecourse throughout the day. It suits a group hosting clients who want a table or a room of their own for the afternoon.
Men
Morning dress means a morning coat, the long tailcoat that is cut away at the front. It is worn with a waistcoat, formal trousers and a tie. The Royal Enclosure requires it, and the Queen Anne allows it.
- Royal EnclosureMorning dress in black, grey or navy with a waistcoat and tie, and a black or grey top hat. Shoes are black and socks must cover the ankle. Example: a grey morning coat and dove-grey waistcoat with striped trousers and a grey top hat. Or a navy morning coat with a pale blue waistcoat and a black top hat.
- Queen Anne EnclosureA full-length two- or three-piece suit with a collared shirt and a tie. Socks must cover the ankle, and morning dress passes here too. Example: a navy two-piece suit, white shirt and patterned silk tie. Or a light grey three-piece with a pale pink tie.
- Village EnclosureA suit jacket or blazer with full-length trousers or chinos, and the two need not match. Add a collared shirt, socks and a tie, bow tie or cravat. Example: a navy blazer and stone chinos with a bow tie. Or a linen suit with a knitted tie.
- Windsor EnclosureThere is no official code, and Ascot encourages a jacket and a collared shirt. Example: a cotton blazer, an open-necked shirt and chinos. Or a lightweight suit worn without a tie.
The morning dress rules in detail
- Coat colourBlack, grey or navy. Brown, tan and beige are not on Ascot's list.
- NeckwearA tie in the Royal and Queen Anne enclosures, where cravats, bow ties and neckerchiefs are refused. Patriotic patterns, such as a national flag, are accepted.
- Top hatBlack or grey. Ascot does not permit customised top hats, and gives coloured ribbons, feathers or embellishments as examples. You can take it off in a restaurant or private box. The same goes for an enclosed seating area, terrace, balcony or garden.
- Tartan and national dressTartan trews are close-fitting tartan trousers. Worn with a morning coat and top hat they pass in the Royal Enclosure, but half Scottish dress and half morning dress does not. Formal national dress, or service dress for serving military, is accepted in every enclosure.
Ascot's rules stop there, and the rest of the outfit is your choice. Waistcoats run from buff and dove grey to pale pink and sage. A white shirt with double cuffs is the traditional pairing with a morning coat, and many men add a flower to the left lapel. Moss is Ascot's official men's formalwear hire licensee, and its Royal Ascot range is cut to the Royal Enclosure code.
Women
The Royal Enclosure is the only enclosure that refuses a fascinator, which Ascot defines as a small headpiece on a comb, clip or headband without a solid base of at least 4 inches (10cm). A full hat passes, and so does a headpiece or hatinator on a base that size. The Queen Anne and the Village both accept a fascinator.
- Royal EnclosureA dress or skirt just above the knee or longer, with shoulder straps at least 1 inch (2.5cm) wide. Strapless, one-shoulder, off-the-shoulder, halter-neck and spaghetti-strap styles are all refused. A matching trouser suit passes, and so does a jumpsuit below the knee. Example: a fitted midi dress in one colour with a wide-brim straw hat. Or a cream trouser suit with a structured headpiece on a 5-inch base.
- Queen Anne EnclosureA dress, or a top and skirt, on shoulder or halter-neck straps with no minimum length. A matching trouser suit or a jumpsuit below the knee also passes, and a hat, headpiece or fascinator is required. Example: a printed tea dress with halter straps and a fascinator. Or a jumpsuit with a wide-brim hat.
- Village EnclosureThe same rules as the Queen Anne, and Ascot says trouser suits are welcome here. A hat, headpiece or fascinator is required. Example: a colour-block trouser suit with a sculptural headpiece. Or a lace midi dress with a fascinator.
- Windsor EnclosureThere is no official code. Ascot encourages smart daywear and a hat, headpiece or fascinator. Example: a linen shirt dress with a straw hat. Or smart wide-leg trousers and a silk blouse with a fascinator.
Sheer fabric and a visible midriff are refused in the Royal, Queen Anne and Village enclosures alike. A trouser suit has to be in matching material and colour, so a blouse with separate trousers does not count as one.
Hats, hat by hat
The 4-inch rule measures the solid base, not the flowers or feathers on top of it. A hatinator is a headpiece built on a solid base, and Ascot accepts one in the Royal Enclosure when that base is at least 4 inches (10cm) across. A hatpin or hat elastic keeps a wide brim in place when the wind picks up. Inside a box or restaurant, a very tall piece blocks the view of the people seated behind you.
Ladies' Day falls on Thursday 17 June 2027, the day the Gold Cup is run over two and a half miles. The dress code does not change for it, so everything in this section applies on the Thursday too.
Ascot has no rule on shoe style beyond the ban on trainers. The lawns are grass, so block heels or wedges cope better than stilettos.
The mistakes that come up every year
A brown or tan morning coat
The Royal Enclosure accepts black, grey or navy only.
A bow tie or cravat outside the Village
The Royal and Queen Anne enclosures both refuse cravats, bow ties and neckerchiefs.
A fascinator in the Royal Enclosure
Ascot does not permit a fascinator without a solid base of at least 4 inches (10cm), "unless under the age of 17".
Relying on a jacket to cover the straps
A bolero or pashmina does not fix a strapless or thin-strapped dress. The dress underneath has to pass on its own.
A halter neck in the Royal Enclosure
It is accepted in the Queen Anne and the Village, and refused in the Royal Enclosure.
A blazer and odd trousers in the Queen Anne
The Queen Anne asks for a full-length two- or three-piece suit. A blazer with chinos is the Village code.
A top hat with a coloured ribbon or feather
Customised top hats, for example with coloured ribbons, feathers or embellishments, are not permitted in the Royal Enclosure.
Bare ankles
Socks that cover the ankle are part of the Gentlemen code in the Royal, Queen Anne and Village enclosures, so loafers without socks fail.
Novelty or branded clothing
Fancy dress, novelty and branded or promotional clothing are not permitted anywhere on site. Ascot gives slogans, brand logos and cartoon imagery as examples, and that covers waistcoats and ties as well as dresses.
Children, and guests with a medical condition
Ascot's Royal Enclosure page says those aged 10 to 17 should follow the adult codes, but that "a headpiece or fascinator may be worn as an alternative to a hat, without any size requirement". The same page says "juniors under 17" may wear morning dress or "a dark-coloured lounge suit with a collared shirt and necktie". In the Queen Anne and the Village, hats, headpieces and fascinators are not compulsory for those aged 10 to 17. Ascot's pages word the age limit both ways, so we confirm the rule for a 17-year-old guest when we take you through the booking.
Ascot asks guests with a medical condition to contact its accessibility team before the day. Tell us when we confirm the booking and we'll help you make that contact.
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.
