The Festival of Speed reimagined motorsport as a public hillclimb up the Duke of Richmond's own drive when it launched in 1993, and has since grown into the largest motoring event in the world.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed runs racing cars up the Duke of Richmond’s hillclimb at Goodwood House in Chichester, West Sussex, from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 July 2027. It is the largest motoring event in the world.
The festival opened in 1993 on the idea that the public would come to see these cars driven, where a motor show leaves them parked. The first one drew 25,000 people.
The hill is 1.16 miles long with nine turns. Max Chilton holds the record, set in 39 seconds in a McMurtry Spéirling in 2022.
Cars from every era run the hill in sequence, driven at pace by the people who raced them. Manufacturers use the weekend to launch their next models.
The Moving Motor Show, on the opening day, is the one part of the weekend when the public drives. The central display outside the House is commissioned each year from a sculptor and built around the marque it honours.
The Cartier Style et Luxe concours, the forest rally stage, the supercar paddock and the Future Lab technology display run alongside the hillclimb. A soapbox race runs down the same hill.