Grand National 2026: Guide to three-day Aintree festival

More than 150,000 racegoers are expected at the world famous three-day festival [PA Media] The Randox Grand National festival opens at Aintree racecourse on Thursday. More than 150,000 racegoers are expected at the three-day event on Merseyside. Aintree racecourse, in Sefton, has hosted the festival since 1839, with Red Rum the most successful horse in Grand National history having won the steeplechase race three times.

Here is a guide on how to get to the festival, dress code and the all-important race times for Opening Day, Ladies Day and Grand National Day. Getting to Aintree Racecourse Racegoers heading to the iconic Aintree meeting are advised to plan ahead, use public transport where possible and leave plenty of time. Stagecoach Manchester and Merseyside will be running a dedicated shuttle bus service from Liverpool city centre to Aintree Racecourse across all three days of the Randox Grand National Festival.

Passengers can board the shuttle from Elliot Street in the city centre for a direct journey to Park Lane (Aintree Station), located just a short walk from the racecourse entrance. Buses will run frequently throughout the day, helping visitors avoid the hassle of traffic and parking while travelling comfortably to and from the festival. Tickets are priced at £5 for an adult single and £6 for an adult return.

During the festival, Merseyrail will operate a seven-and-a-half-minute frequency service between Liverpool city centre and Aintree stations on the Merseyrail Northern Line before and after the races. The seven-and-a-half-minute service will run between Aintree and Liverpool Central/Moorfields stations from about 10:00 BST to 13:00 and 16:30 to 20:00. Changes to rail services To accommodate the more frequent services between Liverpool city centre and Aintree there will be reduced services to some stations on the Ormskirk branch of the Northern Line and a slightly amended 15-minute timetable on the Southport branch of the Northern Line.