Punchestown Racecourse opened in 1875 and is home to the unique Irish Jumps Racing. The racecourse hosts the annual Punchestown Irish National Hunt Festival and is famously the only cross-country banks course in all of Ireland.
Not only does the racecourse play host to horse racing, but also festivals like Oxegen, Creamfields, Ozzfest and solo artists like Eminem, Bon Jovi, U2 Rory Gallagher and AC/DC.
Punchestown pride themselves in their knowledge and experience in catering for all styles of events in the industry. The racecourse won ‘Best In-House Event Team’ in 2011 at the event industry awards. Frequent events include those by MCD Promotions, Farm Machinery Show, Dixon’s Roadshow, European and local elections, Musgraves trade shows and Construction Plant Show.
Punchestown Festival
The Punchestown Festival is what has put the racecourse on the map. It is considered the grand finale of the jump season with top-class trainers and jockeys coming from all over Ireland to compete. It is usually held in April and takes place over 5 days. Punchestown Festival is known nationally as the ‘Irish version’ of Cheltenham Festival, as it’s run in a similar format. Major races held at the festival are the Ryanair Novice Chase, Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Punchestown Gold Cup and much more!