Enjoying National Hunt Festival Hospitality At The Top Race Meetings

The arrival of winter is often looked upon with doom and gloom by a large number of people. The cold, wet weather, the dark evenings and the need to cover up in as many layers of clothes as possible all add to the feeling that the summer is a million miles away and it's a case of waiting for next year. But for some the winter is greeted with joy. For people interested in horse racing the winter signals the start of the National Hunt season. For a few months the flat racing season is forgotten and the jumps come out.

Although the National Hunt season is often looked on as a less glamorous occasion than the flat it is no less thrilling as a spectacle and as a result the business of National Hunt Festival hospitality is booming. The National Hunt season might not have glamorous events like Royal Ascot but it is seen by many as a more friendly experience and attracts more popular support. The rules are slightly different and the horses have longer careers so they become more familiar with the public and so attract a loyal following.

National Hunt racing is a peculiarly European sport, it's most popular in Britain, Ireland and France; in Ireland it is far more popular than flat racing. The horse come from many with some having already been tried out on the flat courses. The popularity of the season means that many of the major fixtures of the season are now extremely popular. The Cheltenham Festival, The Galway Races and Punchestown Festivals are three of the biggest and for each there are a range of National Hunt Festival hospitality packages offered by many companies so that you can enjoy the experience in its entirety.

The Cheltenham Festival - Cheltenham is the most well known and well attended festival in the National Hunt calendar. For many it is the highlight of the season. The prize money which is second only to the Grand National, is a big draw for the festival. At Cheltenham there is the added bonus of seeing horse race against each other for the only time in the year. A mix of Irish and British horse compete which doesn't happen to such an extent at any other meeting. Traditionally the festival takes place in March and coincidentally St Patrick's Day often falls sometime during the festival which adds extra spice for the Irish following.

Millions of pounds is bet during the course of the festival with hundreds of thousands of people going through the turnstiles over the course of the few days. It is also viewed by thousands if not millions across the world on TV. As an occasion it's reputation is fantastic which is why National Hunt Festival hospitality packages for the event are so popular.

The Galway Races - Galway is host to a week long festival at the end of July every year. The popularity of National Hunt racing in Ireland means that the festival is extremely well attended and is not only a major highlight of the racing calendar in Ireland but is a major fixture nationally as well. Many people who are not interested in racing attend just to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the parties and events that take place around the festival. The National Hunt Festival hospitality packages around the festival are some of the best on offer.

The Punchestown Festival - Punchestown is the major horse racing festival in the Irish calendar. It is held over five days at the end of April and is seen as the Irish equivalent of The Cheltenham Festival. It follows a similar format to the British sister festival and includes the Punchestown Gold Cup race, which is the richest race in Ireland. Hospitality packages for the festival are snapped up quickly by race lovers wanting to see some of the finest racing in Ireland.

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