Online ticket sales for the 91st Montpelier Hunt Races closed on Monday, October 26. Between now and Saturday, November 7, you can buy tickets two ways: from an approved ticket outlet, or at the gate on race day for an increased price. Most of those outlets are places Orange County already uses for feed, mulch, hardware and banking. For most of the county, getting a race badge now takes a phone call and a stop at a store on the way somewhere else.
Where the badges are now
The Montpelier Steeplechase Foundation's approved outlet list has had tickets for sale since October 1, 2026. It asks buyers to call the outlet first to confirm it still has tickets. Here are the outlets closest to home:
- Orange and Orange County: the Montpelier Visitor Center, Ace Hardware–Orange, Blue Ridge Bank, Darnell's Garden Patch, Deep Roots Home & Garden, EverGro, E.V. Baker's Store, Farm Credit and Locust Grove Hardware
- Gordonsville: Blue Ridge Bank and The Laurie Holladay Shop
- Montpelier: Montpelier Feed & Seed
- Charlottesville: Caspari, C'Ville Smoke Shop in Forest Lakes, and Schwarzschild Keller & George
The list goes well past the county line. It also names outlets in Madison, Louisa, Culpeper, Fredericksburg, Haymarket, Upperville, Ashland and Richmond. Visitors from those places have their own outlets. Outlets inside Orange County mostly serve people who live here.
Buy before race morning if you can. Gate tickets cost more than tickets bought ahead of time. Ask the outlet for its current price when you call. You'll also find out whether it still has tickets.
Admission and parking are separate purchases
Every vehicle entering the grounds needs a parking pass. Every person needs a general admission badge, except children 12 and under. Those are two different items, and the second one is easy to forget.
The parking choices have narrowed this late in the season. According to the races' ticket page, all reserved parking is sold out. That includes the three tiers that came with four admissions per car: Subscriber at $355, Member at $395 and Patron at $435. Two choices are left:
| Parking option | Price | What it gets you | Admission included? |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Parking | $40 | A space in the general lot, with a walk to the racecourse infield | No |
| Infield Parking | $120 | Unreserved parking inside the infield and a shorter walk | No |
The $190 Picnic Space, which came with a reserved spot on the rail, two tickets and a general parking pass, is also sold out. So is online handicapped parking, at $40. For handicapped parking, the ticket page points buyers to a ticket outlet in Orange, which may still have some. That's one more reason to call the Orange outlets early.
Groups going together have a deadline before the races do. A bus or limousine needs a special pass arranged before October 31, which is this Saturday. Any vehicle that seats more than 12 counts as a bus. The races run rain or shine, and tickets are not refundable.
Much of the program happens before the first race
The gates open at 9 a.m. The first race goes off three hours later. The official 2026 schedule fills that morning with many of the day's family events. If you have a general parking pass and a walk to the infield ahead of you, it helps to plan the drive around the start of the program, not the first race.
| Time | What's happening |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. | Gates open |
| 9:30 a.m. | Montpelier Market and information tent open; stick horse race registration |
| 10:15 a.m. | Jack Russell Terrier Races |
| 11:15 a.m. | Children's Stick Horse Races |
| 11:45 a.m. | Opening ceremonies |
| 12:00 p.m. | Montpelier Foundation Cup |
| 12:40 p.m. | Madison Plate |
| 1:05 p.m. | Hat Contest judging |
| 1:20 p.m. | Battleship |
| 2:00 p.m. | Constitution Hurdle |
| 2:15 p.m. | Tailgate competition winner announced |
| 2:40 p.m. | Montpelier Cup |
| 3:20 p.m. | DuPont-McConnell |
| 4:00 p.m. | Noel Laing, Grade 2 |
| 6:00 p.m. | Gates close |
The seven races go off every 40 minutes. The last is the Noel Laing, a Grade 2 race, which goes off at 4 p.m., two hours before the gates close. The races' event page also lists terrier and Corgi races, a parade of hounds, a sidesaddle exhibition, a vintage car display, and contests for tailgates and hats. The FAQ says food trucks and vendors will be on site.
The organizers say race-day proceeds support nonprofit organizations, "most notably" the Montpelier Foundation. So badges sold at Orange County storefronts help pay for one of the county's best-known landmarks, at 11350 Constitution Highway in Montpelier Station.
The rest of that Saturday in the county
The races take up most of November 7, but other events are scheduled across the county that day, some with overlapping hours.
Horton Vineyards, Gordonsville. Horton hosts Salute & Sip, a free tribute to military working dogs, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 6399 Spotswood Trail. Ten percent of sales go to the Military Working Dog Team Support Association. The Orange County chamber listing names trainer Austin Bodine and Bali Y499, a retired military working dog. Those hours line up almost exactly with the race card. The vineyard event starts half an hour before the first race and ends at the Noel Laing's 4 p.m. post time, so fitting in both means picking which part of the day goes to each.
The night before. Horton also has a free outdoor screening of Kelly's Heroes on Friday, November 6, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Popcorn and milkshakes will be for sale. It makes for an easy Friday evening before an early start Saturday.
Gordonsville's Veterans Day parade. Visit Orange County lists the parade on Main Street for November 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. The Town of Gordonsville's parade page says the parade is held every second Saturday of November, which in 2026 would be November 14. The town's page currently shows 2025 details, and it directs questions to the Visitor Center Director. Confirm the date with the town before planning around it. If it does fall on the 7th, it would run during the 2 p.m. Constitution Hurdle and the 2:40 Montpelier Cup.
A short checklist for the next nine days
- By Saturday, October 31: arrange a bus or limo pass if your group needs one.
- This week: call an outlet such as Ace Hardware–Orange, Darnell's Garden Patch, Blue Ridge Bank in Gordonsville or The Laurie Holladay Shop to confirm it has tickets, and buy admission badges and a general or infield parking pass.
- If you need handicapped parking: start with the outlets in Orange.
- Race morning: gates open at 9 a.m., terriers run at 10:15, and the first race goes off at noon.
- Bring rain gear either way. The races run rain or shine.
At Nest Realty, we track Orange County's calendar the same way we track its market, one date and one local business at a time. If a day like November 7 has you thinking about Gordonsville, Orange or the farmland around Montpelier, our full-time agents would be glad to walk you through it. Get Started Now.
