A Day at Newmarket Races Followed By McFly Review

Reviewed by Hannah C

Imagine how excited I was when I heard I was being offered a press pass for the NewMarket races with the chance to see McFly live after the races had finished. I was that excited that I had McFly on loop in the car the whole journey there, and for the weeks before the children endured me telling them everything I knew about the band.
Admittedly I have never been to the races so was really nervous, nervous about what I was going to wear, what was going to happen over the day and how it would all work post pandemic. I needn’t have worried at all. The team at Newmarket were really helpful. They emailed me with all the information I would need and answered my queries in a professional and friendly manner. I also turned to their website for some of the information, for example the times of the races and ideas on what we would need to wear. The course has different areas, each with their own dress code so I wanted to make sure I was dressed correctly for the level of pass we had. We had a premier pass which allowed us access to the premier area plus the winners circle and parade ring so you could watch the horses before they ran and see them afterwards.

As we arrived at the racecourse, the traffic had built so there was a slight delay getting in. I suggest leaving a little earlier if you don’t want to miss anything, but the marshals on site were brilliant and directed us to the disabled parking near the ticket offices. Everyone we met on the day was genuinely friendly. We saw a lot of security staff, sniffer dogs, staff to help with queries and to direct and a very efficient clean up crew who were everywhere keeping the grounds lovely and tidy.

We placed our bets and headed over to the track. As part of our visit we were offered a disability pass for my daughter who uses a wheelchair, so her and myself were on platform B. It is a slightly raised platform with a very clear view of the finish line. My husband and two other children stood right next to the platform so we could still chat between races. I thought this was lovely as we weren’t separated. I purchased a race card for £3.50, which listed all of the horses, times and information I’d need over the day.

The platform was opposite a huge screen too, so when the horses were on a longer race we could watch their progress with ease. Over all the accessibility was brilliant, one of the best, well thought through venues I have been to. Most of the course was stepless access with only a few exceptions where there was a lift. If you forget your radar key like I did, you can borrow one to access the spotless toilets.
The course was quite busy but queues weren’t too long. I think the longest we waited was about fifteen minutes for some snacks between races. There were plenty of booths around for collecting winnings and the staff very helpful, especially as I had never been before. I was so grateful when one of the ladies explained everything to me. There were many food outlets and stalls offering a good variety of food and a childrens playground in the garden area. This helped my youngest burn off some steam after a lot of *doing grown up things* (his words). He did enjoy seeing the horses run. I also noticed that the commentator could be heard across the whole course which was good for those who had to leave the enclosure but still wanted to hear what was going on.

There were eight races in total on the day, followed by the concert I had been so excited about for weeks! We watched from the platform we had watched the races from, all we had to do was turn around! The stage was opposite the track which made it super easy. Other ticket holders could watch from the grass or from the stands, there was plenty of room and I doubt anyone had a poor view. Sound quality was great and so was the lighting.
We had a great view from the accessible platform and it was lovely to see several other families with additional needs on the platform with us. We were so lucky. The staff were so attentive that they even noticed when my daughter had her hands over her ears ( I had forgotten her ear defenders) and went to find me some ear plugs.

Mcfly were excellent live. Much better than I thought they would be and the kids loved them too. They arrived on stage during a recording of YMCA and went straight into their first song. They played a good set list including some newer songs and some old favourites, from Surfer Babe to Lies and Happiness. They were on stage for an hour finishing with Five Colours in her Hair which was one of my favourites of the night, the other being Lies. They interacted with the crowd, especially Tom and Danny which is always fun. I particularly liked when they had a gorgeous little 7 year old come up and begin one of their songs for them, such a friendly band. Tom moved from his guitar to the piano for their cover of Queen’s Don’t Stop me Now which was excellent. Vocals were spot on and I loved the silliness and banter they added. I loved how they did an encore even though it was a smaller venue with a shorter amount of stage time.

There were a couple of parties in the crowd who had a tap on the shoulder from security. I am not mentioning this to be funny but because I was impressed with how they handled those who had had a little too much to drink over the day. No one caused a fuss at all and it was all low level and sorted very quickly.

After the concert was over the masses headed off to the gates. We hung back a little as the crowds seemed not to be social distancing in the slightest however it was only minutes before we followed and the main areas were pretty much empty. Only a few heading over to toilets or the food venues before heading to the car park. As we were in disability parking we jumped most of the queue to exit the field, so keep this in mind when leaving the venue but please don’t let it put you off. It looks worse than it actually is.

It was a very easy 5/5 today.   I knew it would be. It did not disappoint. You can find their what’s on guide here which lists all of their upcoming events. Ticket prices vary depending on the event so it is best to check their website for the most up to date information.