For many of us, June has been our most social month in the last 18 months. Off the back of the 2020 and early 2021 lockdowns, things are starting to look a little brighter, the weather has cheered up and we’re allowed to socialise with our families and friends.
While the COVID-19 vaccines are continuing to roll out and testing is more readily available it has been deemed by the Government safe enough for us to restart our social lives – just in time for one of our favourite events of the year – Royal Ascot.
While this year the number of permitted attendees at the prestigious race has been massively cut from 300,000 people (for the week) to just 12,000 members and owners per day, it is looking like it’ll be a great celebration to mark nearing the end of the pandemic.
While a lucky few will be enjoying the festivities, we’ll be continuing to add to our amazing catalogue of properties for sale in Virginia Water and the surrounding areas. If you’re looking at moving to the area, visit our award-winning website or call us on 01344 843000 and email us.
Not Quite Business as Usual
It’s not quite back to normality for race goers, last year’s meeting was held behind closed doors with only staff and owners able to attend, not even the Queen was allowed to visit to watch her favourite thoroughbreds.
This year, only the Royal Enclosure and the Queen Anne Enclosure will be open, although they are likely to be very different due to being scaled down in order to meet the limited capacity requirements.
The Gold Cup will be run on the Thursday of Royal Ascot week as per tradition (often referred to as Ladies Day) and so, not all of the glamour will be lost from this year’s event.
COVID-19 Health & Safety
This Year Royal Ascot is being used as a designated Events Research Programme and so, attendees will be required to provide certain personal information in order to complete the research. There will be hand sanitiser at the entrances and throughout the venue while cleaning will be taking place in high traffic areas.
The use of face coverings is not mandatory but attendees are welcome to keep them on should they wish, so if you see some people wearing masks and others not on television, this is why.
In order to gain entrance to the race course, attendees will have to provide proof of a negative lateral flow test on the day. Each attendee will also be asked to take two PCR tests as part of the research programme which will have been sent ahead of time.
Obviously, people are being warned not to attend if they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms to stay home.
Dress Code
In the past, Royal Ascot has been as much about fashion as it has horse racing. Every year the spotlight of the fashion industry glares down upon society’s glitterati to pass judgement on their latest outfits.
For those of you lucky enough to attend, we wish you all the best in choosing a face mask to match your fascinator; thankfully the racecourse itself has published its 10th Anniversary Royal Ascot Style Guide to help you stay on trend.
Following from Outside
The majority of perennial race goers will have to settle for television coverage (dress code optional), but you won’t have to look far to watch all of your favourite jockeys and horses doing what they do best. You can watch the events unfold on the following mediums:
UK:
Sky Sports Racing – all races
ITV4
Tuesday 15th June: Races 1-3
Wednesday 16th June: Race 7
Thursday 17th June: Races 1-3
Friday 18th June: Race 7
Saturday 19th June: Races 4-7
ITV1
Tuesday 15th June: Races 4-7
Wednesday 16th June: Races 1-6
Thursday 17th June: Races 4-7
Friday 18th June: Races 1-6
Saturday 19th June: Races 1-3
USA: NBC
Ireland: Virgin Media
Italy: Rai
Poland: Polsat
Russia: Match TV
Georgia: Silknet
Spain: Movistar
Turkey: beIN Sports
Portugal: Sport TV
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland & Iceland: Nordic Entertainment (Nent) Group
Baltic countries & Eurasia: Cyta & Setanta Sports
Wherever you are in the world or if you are lucky enough to be attending, stay safe and enjoy the festivities.
Get in Touch
If you are thinking of moving to the area, make sure you take a look at our amazing catalogue of properties for sale in Virginia Water and the surrounding areas.
If you’d like to speak to someone about properties to let in Virginia Water, a member of our expert team would be happy to help. You can call us on 01344 843000 or email us. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
