We had the pleasure of spending August bank holiday at Goodwood Racecourse, out on the South Downs just outside Chichester, performing our Reverse Mermaids and Bubble Chest as a roaming seaside walkabout act. We were booked through House of Bonita Entertainment and worked alongside Goodwood’s in-house hospitality manager, who puts together the attractions and entertainment that turn their race days into proper family days out. This is an event that as both performers and a company we have attended many times over the years, and it is always a blast to come back. One thing that has been universally true is that they go all out for this weekend.
August Bank Holiday Racing at Goodwood
August Bank Holiday is one of the bigger fixtures in Goodwood’s calendar: three days of racing, Friday to Sunday, this year presented by Virgin Bet. It’s a medium-sized sporting event with a few thousand through the gates each day, ticketed in the usual tiers. There’s general admission, a members’ enclosure with its own dress code, a luxury viewing box and a VIP restaurant. Under-18s go free, which was evidenced by the many families we saw across the weekend, out to make the most of the bank holiday.
The racing itself is serious alongside all the family entertainment. That weekend featured the Group 2 Celebration Mile on the Saturday and the £100,000 Group 3 Prestige Stakes for fillies and mares on the Sunday. It also fell during National Racehorse Week, so there was plenty happening across the estate beyond the track.
The entertainment had a seaside holiday theme running through it, with the vintage fairground rides and the other seaside performers (including some familiar faces) that come with it. This obviously made it a perfect fit for our own seaside walkabout Reverse Mermaids. Goodwood’s been doing this fixture in that nostalgic holiday spirit for years, and you can feel it in the dressing-up and the atmosphere.
Bubbles, wind and the South Downs
The weather was challenging for the first couple of days. Goodwood sits exposed on top of the downs, and the wind made bubbles genuinely difficult, so we adapted: find the sheltered corners where it was calmer, or take it inside and dance and mingle with the guests instead. Across the three days we did our 3 x 30 minute sets a day, 4.5 hours of performance in all, though we probably overran a fair few of them because we were having too much fun.
The crowd
The crowd was a proper mix: race enthusiasts, owners, jockeys, handlers and trainers, plus plenty of people dressed up for a day at the races. Groups of adults drinking and revelling, families with children in tow. Our silly, surreal style landed just the way we always want it to, funny and a little bewildering. It definitely stopped a few people in their tracks. We got a few up and dancing along to the jazz band, and once the bubbles came out the kids were off, chasing them down to pop them.
Learning the ropes
It was genuinely interesting to learn a bit more about horse racing, and being given one of the exclusive viewing boxes as our dressing room was a particular treat. Watching the races from up there between sets certainly isn’t a bad way to spend a break. One of the genuinely incredible things about life as a performer is getting to sample things that you might never choose to do when left to your own devices.
Big thanks once again to House of Bonita Entertainment for booking us, and to the team at Goodwood for having us. We’d love to be back next year!
Looking for seaside entertainment for your own event? Take a look at our Reverse Mermaids and our other street theatre acts, or get in touch to talk about your dates.