Goodwood Revival vs Festival
The Festival of Speed is a mixed-era hillclimb spectacle in the grounds of Goodwood House, while the Revival is historic racing at the Goodwood Motor Circuit with everyone in period dress.
The Festival of Speed is a mixed-era hillclimb spectacle in the grounds of Goodwood House, while the Revival is historic racing at the Goodwood Motor Circuit with everyone in period dress. Both are run by Goodwood in West Sussex, but they feel like very different days out. A third event, the Members' Meeting, sits alongside them.
Festival of Speed: the broad spectacle
The Festival of Speed is Goodwood's longest-standing motorsport event. The first one was held in 1993 on the private roads of Goodwood Park, using a 1.16-mile hillclimb course, and it drew around 25,000 spectators. The hillclimb has been the centre of the action ever since, with cars and bikes running one at a time up the course past the house.
What sets the Festival apart is its range. Goodwood describes it as featuring cars from every era, and alongside the hillclimb there are supercars, a rally stage, an off-road arena and aviation displays. It is the event for visitors who want a bit of everything, from very early machinery to the newest road and racing cars.
Revival: historic racing in period dress
The Revival began in 1998, with the first meeting opening on 18 September that year at the Goodwood Motor Circuit. The circuit itself had been officially opened in September 1948 by Freddie March, the 9th Duke of Richmond. Racing there stopped in 1966, and the Revival recreates the look and feel of those years.
The racing is wheel-to-wheel on the circuit rather than timed runs up a hill, and the cars reflect the era when the circuit was in its first life. The Revival's defining feature is dress: Goodwood bills it as the only event of its kind staged entirely in period dress, and many spectators dress up to match the cars.
Members' Meeting and how to choose
The Members' Meeting has older roots than either. In 1948 the 9th Duke held the first in a series of meetings for members of the British Automobile Racing Club. There were 71 in all, the last on 2 July 1966, when motor racing at Goodwood ceased. Goodwood revived the meeting in 2014 in response to demand from members of the Goodwood Road Racing Club, so it carries a more club-style, members-rooted character.
| Festival of Speed | Revival | Members' Meeting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First held | 1993 | 1998 | 1948 (revived 2014) |
| Venue | Goodwood Park, grounds of Goodwood House | Goodwood Motor Circuit | Goodwood Motor Circuit |
| Main action | 1.16-mile hillclimb plus rally stage and off-road arena | Historic circuit racing | Historic circuit racing |
| Eras on show | Every era, old and new | Cars of the circuit's original years | Historic racing |
| Atmosphere | Broad show with supercars and air displays | Full period dress and setting | Club-style meeting with members' roots |
| Best for | First-timers and families wanting variety | Fans of classic racing and nostalgia | Historic racing fans wanting a club feel |
In short, pick the Festival of Speed for breadth, the Revival for period immersion, and the Members' Meeting for a historic race meeting with a club flavour. Dates, ticket releases, prices and access rules change from year to year, so check the official Goodwood website before planning a visit.
