Sligo Races - Students Day

What to Expect

Students Day is a standout fixture on the Sligo Racecourse calendar, run as a National Hunt steeplechase meeting on Wednesday, 30 September 2026. The seven-race card specifically welcomes students from ATU Sligo and St Angela’s College, and it has built a reputation as one of the social highlights of the autumn racing and college calendar in the northwest, drawing a younger crowd alongside the usual racing regulars.

Sligo Racecourse sits in a valley between Benbulben and Knocknarea, one of the most distinctive settings of any track in Ireland, with the mountains visible from the grandstand on both sides. The course itself has long, sharp turns and a steep uphill finish that regularly produces close finishes over jumps. As with the rest of the 2026 season, the track’s newer grandstand, bar and restaurant, and hospitality building overlooking the parade ring are all in use. General admission and student pricing apply across the day, with early-bird booking encouraged given the demand from local student numbers.

For students at ATU Sligo and St Angela’s College, the day has become a fixture in its own right on the college social calendar, often marking one of the first big shared outings of the new academic year. Non-students are welcome too, and the seven-race card gives plenty to follow through the afternoon and evening, with racing regulars mixing in among the college crowd rather than the two groups being kept apart.

Good to Know

• Date: Wednesday 30 September 2026
• Seven-race National Hunt steeplechase card
• Admission: €15 adults, €10 students/OAPs (standard racecourse pricing; check countysligoraces.com for any early-bird student rate)
• Venue: Sligo Racecourse, Cleveragh, Co. Sligo
• Book or check details: countysligoraces.com
• On-course Tote betting available alongside bookmakers

Getting There

Sligo Racecourse is at Cleveragh, close to Sligo town centre, with dedicated on-site car parking. Bus Eireann connects Sligo town with Dublin, Galway and Derry, and the racecourse is a short taxi ride or a walkable distance from Sligo Bus Station.