Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival cancelled for 2020

The organisers of the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival have announced that both events are to be cancelled this year. The events - two of the biggest festivals on the motoring calendar - were due to take place in July and September respectively but organisers say restrictions in place to combat the coronavirus have forced them to cancel them. However, those behind the Goodwood festivals have hinted at a “behind closed doors” event later in the year and reassured ticket holders that their passes would be valid for next year’s events. Goodwood was forced to cancel its annual Members Meeting race meet in late March due to the coronavirus outbreak and announced in the same month that it was postponing the Festival of Speed. The Festival of Speed was scheduled for July 9-12 but organisers initially said it was being postponed with plans to hold it later in 2020. However, due to social distancing rules remaining in place, this year’s event has now been abandoned completely. The Duke of Richmond owns the Goodwood Estate and founded both the Festival of Speed and Revival. He said: “For a business like ours, which is all about bringing people together to enjoy the things they love, social distancing has had an unavoidable impact on our ability to operate. “The Festival of Speed and Revival events will return in 2021 and, in the meantime, we are delighted to give our incredibly loyal members and dedicated followers a unique opportunity to increase their connection to Goodwood by becoming part of our new Goodwood Supporters Association initiative.” The Goodwood Revival, which focuses on vintage and historic was due to take place on September 11-13 but organisers have decided that the continued uncertainty around coronavirus restrictions make it difficult to continue. All general admission, grandstand and hospitality tickets for either the 2020 Festival of Speed or Revival will remain valid for the respective 2021 events but ticket holders also have the option to claim a full refund. A third option will allow ticket holders and fans to put part or all of their refund towards membership of the newly relaunched Goodwood Supporters’ Association (GSA). In return they will receive an engraved nameplate at the Motor Circuit or within the Festival of Speed parkland, a tree planted in the new woodland area near the circuit and a unique GSA lapel pin. The Duke of Richmond also said that Goodwood hoped to offer fans some motorsport action before the end of the year. He added: “We are still hoping that we may be able to keep the flame alive with a ‘behind closed doors’ motorsport occasion later this year for motorsport fans and enthusiasts worldwide to enjoy at home and look forward to making an announcement in the coming weeks.” After the cancellation of the Members Meeting, the Goodwood Road & Racing website streamed a series of previous races and demonstrations to replace the actual event.