Cheltenham racegoers set to drink 380k pints of Guinness in booziest festival yet amid online trend of ‘splitting the G’

RACEGOERS at Cheltenham this week are set to drink nearly 50 per cent more Guinness than at last year’s festival.

About 380,000 pints of the black stuff may be sunk in what is being touted as the booziest one yet.

That’s up from 265,000 in 2024 — a rise of 43 per cent.

It means bosses are set to rake in nearly £3million from sales of the Irish stout alone, with the price of a Cheltenham pint up 30p to £7.80.

The expected surge in Guinness sales comes amid the social media trend of “splitting the G” — gulping the drink and trying to stop so it rests halfway down the G of Guinness on the glass.

And more will be sunk as the festival celebrates St Patrick’s Day early on Thursday.

A further 3,500 pints of no-alcohol Guinness are expected to be supped at the four-day festival, which gets under way tomorrow.

Some 120,000 pints of lager and 10,700 mini bottles of Moët Champagne could be drunk too.

But there will also be plenty of opportunities for grub to soak up the booze — with three miles of food stalls if sat end-to-end.

Upgraded facilities for this year offer more choice and indoor seating. Around 12,000 people will also sit down for three or four-course lunches across 17 restaurants and hospitality areas.

A spokesman said: “We have made a number of changes ahead of this year’s Cheltenham Festival and our unwavering focus is on the experience as we strive to ensure everyone has a day, or days, to remember.”