Marketing and Events manager Mica Wilkes at Tailors Pub has revealed how months of preparation go into setting up the popular venue for the famous Cheltenham Festival.
Over 250,000 spectators travel to the capital of the Cotswolds as people from all around the British Isles descend on Cheltenham for the world-famous racing event.
“The preparation started in January, where we sort things like signage and even reduce our menu slightly,” Wilkes said.
“We have to think ahead for the brewery orders, especially Guinness, to ensure that we have enough for everybody over the course of the week.
“It’s also something you have to mentally prepare for because it’s such an exhausting week for the staff, but everybody loves it.”
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Mica Wilkes from Tailors Pub reveals the impact ⬇️#Cheltenham #CheltenhamFestival2026 pic.twitter.com/ZjlIGAdw4B
All attention shifts to Friday, the climax of the event, which is Gold Cup Day. It is the grand finale of the week, as well as the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain.
This day in particular sees Tailors, located on Cambray Place off the High Street in Cheltenham, fully booked well in advance.
Wilkes revealed: “For Gold Cup Friday, we were actually sold out in August last year, which is wild, but is a common occurrence every year.
“We were also fully booked for the Thursday and had just some spaces for breakfast on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We have waves of bookings over the whole week, we have people who book just for breakfast or people who will simply stay all day and watch the racing from one of our many TVs.”
In total, the venue boasts over 20 screens, which gives it an edge over numerous competitors in the area.
This helped them win Racing TV Pub of the Year in 2024 and they were also crowned Best Pub in Gloucestershire’s Foodie Awards last year.
“People come to us because we’re a very established pub and everybody knows we have 17 TVs upstairs and four downstairs so you can watch the races from anywhere in the building,” Wilkes said.
“I think it’s unique, we have some people asking whether they can have a table near a screen and we tell them not to worry because they’ll definitely be able to see a TV.
“We also have a great atmosphere at Tailors anyway, but it’s electric during race week as the staff are great and everyone bands together to get through it and deliver the best service possible.”
Racegoers pack into Tailors during Cheltenham Festival week (Credit: Tailors)
With increased footfall during the week and over 265,000 pints of Guinness consumed during last year’s festival, there is a potential for trouble.
But with extra precautions always put in place, any negative atmosphere seems unlikely.
“I’ve been at Tailors for two years and during race week I come down and work the bar and I’ve never seen anything of note,” Wilkes admits.
“We have door staff and everyone’s in such good spirits, even if they’ve lost money.
“They come for our food, the live music and I’ve never seen any trouble at Tailors.”
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