Chester Racecourse lights up the Roodee for a spooktacular Halloween

Chester Racecourse has never been short of spectacle, but this autumn it is trading thoroughbreds for pyrotechnics. The Lord Mayor's Spooktacular Fireworks take place on the Roodee on Saturday 31 October 2026, with the city's much-loved fundraising display given a Halloween twist for the first time.

The format will be familiar to the thousands of families who make the pilgrimage each year. A junior display opens proceedings at 6.45pm, followed by the main display at 7.30pm, with a fairground and LED light performances adding to the atmosphere. This year the racecourse is also staging its own Halloween best-dressed competition, complete with photo spots, so costumes are positively encouraged. Advance adult tickets start at £10, rising to £15 on the gate, and children aged five and under go free.

There is a serious purpose behind the sparkle. Last year's Lord Mayor's Fireworks Extravaganza raised a record-breaking £35,000, and in March the racecourse announced that £10,000 of that sum would go to Storyhouse to help create its new Skills Studio, funding specialist equipment and resources and supporting the arts centre's Young Leaders project for young people across the city.

It caps a strong year for the course, which is widely celebrated as the oldest racecourse still in use, with racing on the Roodee beneath the city walls dating back to the sixteenth century. The Boodles May Festival in early May delivered an 11 per cent year-on-year increase in ticket sales across its three days, while the Ladbrokes Chester Cup attracted a record-breaking 86 entries. Behind the scenes, the Chester Race Company strengthened its board in February with the appointment of industry figure Gary Middlebrook as a non-executive director.

Not every headline has been about the horses, either. The racecourse's Dachshund Derby returned by popular demand at the Virgin Bet Autumn Festival, following its debut in 2025. Eleven sausage dogs lined up for the title of Top Dog, and it was five-year-old Shelby who romped home down the final furlong, to the obvious delight of the crowd.

That mix of top-class sport and good-humoured community events is what keeps the Roodee at the heart of Chester life. Summer brought Roman Day, when a Roman soldier marched through the streets handing out free tickets, and a Family Funday featuring a pantomime horse race in aid of Hospice of the Good Shepherd.

For anyone who has only ever seen the course on a race day, the fireworks are a wonderfully different way to experience one of Cheshire's great sporting venues, with viewing stretching from the Dee to the County.

Tickets for the Lord Mayor's Spooktacular Fireworks are available now at chester-races.com.