Royal Ascot: Quintessentially British

Activities

Attractions

Published on Monday, 16 June 2014 13:30

Last Updated on 16 June 2014

Monica Costa

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If you have never experienced Ascot, I would suggest you take this trip from London Waterloo to discover what is Quintessentially British above and beyond race courses. Ascot has all ingredients for a jump into British culture. Here is my visualisation of what Ascot is all about.

Fashion

ROYAL ASCOT is THE British Summer’s most elegant racing event, attracting from Royals to Fashionistas, with its complicated dress code and hat-shape rules. And this is what makes the interpretations go wild. The rules in 2014 seem to be stricter than ever. The hat or headpiece should be worn at all times. But there are no rules on what is considered good taste in the hat department. Dresses must have two straps, each being at least one inch thick no matter if you are wearing a shawl or jacket on top. Midi dresses and trouser suits are both acceptable. Men need to wear a waistcoat and tie and a black or grey top hat. Black shoes are a MUST but no cravats.

I attended the Open Day in May when rules were not so strict and totally enjoyed observing the attempts to stick to the Ascot fashion rules with not much success but fun was guaranteed. Frankly I did not pay much attention to the horse racing going on. I loved watching people. One thing that struck me was that women tried to stick to one colour. For instance if fuchsia was the chosen colour for the day everything was absolutely fuchsia from top to bottom. I found this hilarious and not necessarily elegant.

 

Hats

Hats are expensive and make you look glam even if you don’t have the total elegant look. There was a parade of gorgeous hats and ladies and gentlemen proudly displaying them.

The Races

Royal Ascot is Britain’s best-known race meeting, dating back more than 300 years. The Queen attends every year in June and with her an entourage of Royals and celebrities showing off their best outfits for the occasion.

The most spectacular day for the Hat watch is Ladies’ Day which this year is on 19th June 19.

But Ascot is not only for high society but can be fun and affordable even for families.

Adult tickets cost £17. During Royal Ascot, Silver Ring tickets cost from £25. These tickets do not include access to the Parade Ring or the main Grandstand but there is no formal dress code and you can have your own picnic  (but remember you can only have one bottle of wine per person). Grandstand tickets cost £65.

Kids under-18s come FREE into the racecourse on all race days when accompanied by a paying adult.