The final day of the Goodwood Festival of Speed will go ahead on Sunday, according to event organizers. This decision comes after the cancellation of Saturday’s events due to a weather warning for high winds, which marks the first time in the event’s history that a day has been canceled.
In a statement, the Festival of Speed organizers confirmed that “the event is going ahead as planned”. However, they emphasized that only spectators with Sunday tickets should attend. The event is completely sold out for Sunday, and Saturday ticket holders will not be granted entry.
For Sunday, the forecast currently predicts sunny intervals with a slight chance of rain and a “fresh breeze”.
Reasons for the Saturday Cancellation
Event organizers officially notified ticket holders, manufacturers, and exhibitors late on Friday evening about the decision to cancel Saturday’s events. This decision was made in response to a severe weather warning from the Met Office, forecasting high winds with gusts of up to 50mph. The Goodwood Festival of Speed venue includes wooded areas as well as multiple temporary structures.
A statement on the Festival of Speed website explained the cancellation: “It is with deep regret that we have taken the decision that the Goodwood Festival of Speed will not go ahead today (Saturday 15 July 2023). After consulting meteorologists, health and safety experts, and other key stakeholders, we have decided to close the event site due to a severe wind warning in the Goodwood area.
“On-site safety is our highest priority, and the projected high winds would pose a serious risk to various temporary structures across the site. We kindly ask that you do not travel to Goodwood or attempt to access the site.
“This decision was not made lightly, and His Grace, The Duke of Richmond, along with the entire Festival of Speed team, deeply regrets that we will not be running the event on Saturday for the first time in its 30-year history.”
Exhibitors were instructed to secure their stands in preparation for the site shutdown from 11am. Festivalgoers staying at the campsite were allowed to remain but were advised to exercise extreme caution due to the conditions.
The organizers anticipated that the winds would ease by the evening, and the annual Goodwood Ball, which marks the festival’s 30th anniversary this year, proceeded as planned.
Saturday ticket holders will receive refunds in the coming days.
Poor weather conditions persisted at the Sussex event on Friday, resulting in the cancellation of the scheduled Red Arrows display and heavy rain throughout the afternoon. As a result, there were some delays for drivers leaving the event’s car parks.