2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed to go ahead as live pilot event

The Goodwood Festival of Speed will go ahead at full capacity in July, having been named as a pilot event by the Events Research Programme (ERP).

The motoring extravaganza will take place on 8-11 July despite doubts arising after the Government delayed the lifting of social distancing measures and limits on mass events due to the ongoing pandemic.

The event is sold out across Friday, Saturday and Sunday — with some Thursday tickets left. The capacities agreed with the ERP will mean that all 2021 Festival of Speed ticket, hospitality and grandstand pass holders will be able to attend as planned, including those with tickets rolled over from 2020.

Attendees will have to consent to ERP and NHS test and trace requirements, as well as having received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before the event or show proof of a negative lateral flow test taken within 48 hours of attending.

The UK Government’s ERP has staged studies on the impact of mass events on Covid-19 - like Goodwood - at a number of events in the past few months. These include the FA Cup semi-finals and final at Wembley and Download Festival at Donington Park.

Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “We are continuing to expand the Events Research Programme’s remit to include more of our iconic cultural and sporting events and the Goodwood Festival of Speed will now return for the first time since the pandemic broke.

“Festival-goers will now be able to enjoy the raw horsepower of Goodwood’s legendary automotive, aeronautical and equine offerings up close thanks to our tremendous vaccine rollout and the increasingly popular use of the NHS App to prove your Covid status.”

Goodwood says it will be in touch with all ticket holders in the coming days with further details about how the Festival of Speed will run as a pilot event.

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