It wasn’t just the horse racing that had attendees talking at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.
While the event wrapped up last week with its usual mix of glamorously dressed punters and exciting races, one topic dominated discussions: the sky-high prices for food and drinks.
Festival Prices Stun Attendees
As racegoers eagerly lined up at the bars and food stalls, many were hit with a serious shock at how much they would have to pay for their refreshments.
From food stalls serving bacon rolls to drinks at the bar, the prices left many disgruntled.
A simple back bacon roll, for example, would set you back an eye-watering £8, and adding a fried egg would cost an extra 50p.
Racegoers looking for a portion of chips were told to pay £5, while a cup of tea would cost £3.10. And if you had a bigger appetite, a cheese and bacon ‘stack’ was priced at a staggering £13.50, and a cheese burger was going for £11.50—no side orders included.
It wasn’t just food that had festival-goers grumbling; drinks were no less expensive.
A can of fizzy drink was priced at £3.10, while water cost £2.50.
Fans of Guinness also felt the sting when the price of their favorite pint jumped 30p to £7.80. A round of four Guinness cost £31.20, a bitter pill for many to swallow.
Racegoers Find Creative Ways to Avoid the Skyrocketing Prices
Faced with these ridiculous prices, racegoers took matters into their own hands and got creative with sneaky ways to smuggle alcohol into the festival.
One woman even managed to hide bags of wine under her wide-legged trousers, cleverly taped to her legs.
A TikTok video posted by the account ‘2girltravels’ showed how she managed to outsmart the festival’s restrictions with her ingenious plan.
But this wasn’t the only clever trick at play. Another woman became an overnight sensation when she was spotted sipping alcohol from a binocular flask.
The hilarious footage quickly went viral, with fans flocking to Twitter to express their admiration.
“I want a set of these for next Christmas,” one fan wrote, while another declared, “I’m struggling to think when I’ve seen anything better than this.”
Many praised the woman for her creative solution to avoid the inflated prices.
The Prices May Have Shocked, But the Fun Continued
Despite the outrage over the prices, the Cheltenham Festival went on, with punters still enjoying the races, the fashion, and the festive atmosphere.
But it’s clear that the event’s skyrocketing prices had more than a few racegoers questioning where their money was going.
Some spectators even took to social media to share their frustrations over the cost of food and drinks, venting about how difficult it was to enjoy the day without feeling the sting on their wallets.
While the racegoers may not have been happy with the prices, one thing was certain: their inventive ways of sneaking alcohol into the festival proved that nothing would stop them from enjoying the event to the fullest.