It has been announced that 1,000 people will be allowed to attend the 2021 Galway Races each day of the summer festival, significantly below what was hoped for.
CEO of Galway Racecourse Michael Maloney said today that they received news late on Tuesday evening that 1,000 spectators will be allowed on each day of the summer festival.
“We know given the support we’ve got over the last couple of weeks that this will be extremely disappointing news to all our fans who had been looking forward to the opportunity of coming back to Ballybrit this year.”
The festival organisers submitted plans which requested that up to 5,000 spectators a day to be permitted at the outdoor festival.
But Maloney added that “on the upside”, this is still 7,000 more people who will get a chance to view the races this month than were permitted last year, when the summer festival took place behind closed doors.
This year’s Galway Races summer festival will run from Monday, July 26, through the week to Sunday August 1.
“For those who do manage to come to Ballybrit this year, we’re delighted that we’ll have owners back, and now some small amount of public on top of that. We certainly look forward to make it an event that will be worth being at.”
Michael Maloney said that they are extremely fortunate to have so much television coverage lined up for the Galway Races this year, for those who cannot attend.
The first four days of the festival will be covered on RTÉ, followed by TG4 showing the Friday and Saturday, while the entire week’s racing will be spotlighted on the festival’s social media channels.
“We really hope that you’ll join us along the way in keeping an eye on what’s happening in Ballybrit this year, and we’re still looking forward to some great racing.”
Further updates are expected in the coming days on how the 1,000 permitted spectators will be handled.
