Everything you need to know about Grand National Day this Saturday at the Randox Grand National 2025

When it comes to great sporting events, they don’t come much bigger than the Grand National Festival – and Saturday is the greatest day of all when millions of eyes around the world are on the big race itself.

If you’re lucky enough to be at Aintree on April 5 for the Grand National you’re already a winner whether your bets are on the money or not.

And if you are heading to the racecourse this weekend, here’s everything you need to know about Grand National Day …

What time does everything start on Grand National Day?

The Grand National Festival is a three day event, so with two days already celebrated, everything’s been building up to this, the biggest day of all when the Grand National – possibly the greatest steeplechase in the world – is run. There’s so much excitement about the day you want to get there as early as you can to soak up the amazing Aintree atmosphere. Gates open at 10am with the first race getting underway at 1.20pm and the last race at 5.35pm. 

What time is the Grand National itself?

The starting gun for the Randox Grand National Handicap Steeple Chase will be fired at 4pm.

How many runners will there be in the Grand National and who’s favourite?

There’ll be a maximum of 34 horses lining up at Aintree Racecourse for the big race this Saturday after six were withdrawn at the five-day confirmation stage.  The National is well known for being anyone’s race, but among the favourites this year are Intense Raffles, Stumptown, Iroko, I Am Maximus (last year’s winner), Hewick and Vanillier.

Is there entertainment on?

You can bet there’s plenty to keep you happy throughout the day with live music and DJs at sites across the course, with Revival on from 12.15pm-7pm at the Equestrian Centre and Fat Cats on between 10.10am and 12.30pm at the Pravha Bar. You can catch Stray Horns and Fat Cats on the Bandstand between 9.55am-12.30pm, and 1.25pm-5.30pm respectively, and Brothers of Swing are at Sunloch between 12.30pm-5.10pm. The Toni James Duo is on at the Garden Club from 11.15pm-5.30pm; Rag Tag Misfits at Sefton Arms Entrance from 9.45am-12.30pm; Barrington Powell and Stray Horns are at Silver Birch from 10.30am-5.30pm, with DJ Mark Armstrong taking over there between 5.40pm-7.40pm, and The Bluebirds and Barrington Powell share spots at Many Clouds between 11am and 5.30pm.

The Red Rum Garden Stage is going to be home to a host of great DJs: DJ Khaleel Smith from 10.30am-12pm;  DJ Kayla – 12pm-12.30pm;  DJ Phil Binks – 12.30pm-12.55pm; DJ Warren Crane – 1.25pm-1.50pm; DJ Kayla w/ live vocal – 2pm-2.25; DJ Warren Crane w/ sax & bongos – 2.35pm-3pm; DJ Lee Morrison w/ sax & bongos – 3.10pm-3.30pm, and DJ Billie Clements w/ sax & bongos – 4.25pm-4.55pm. 

Then it’s time for the main man himself, Liverpool legend and funk and soul king Craig Charles.

What time is Craig Charles on?

Craig will bring his Funk and Soul Train to transform the Red Rum Garden into a powerhouse of groove, rhythm, and good vibes between 5.40pm-7pm.

And there’s more – The Piano’s Brad Kella!

We’re not sure where and when, but Brad Kella, the exceptionally talented pianist from Bootle and recent winner of Channel 4’s The Piano, will also perform live on Grand National Day.

Why is Grand National Day so special?

There’s something about Grand National Day and the big race that grabs the attention of everyone. It’s why 800 million people tune in to watch the telly, thousands head to Aintree, and even people who don’t bet any other day of the year race to the bookies.

Find out more here.

What about food and drink?

Aintree’s definitely not short of choice when it comes to places to eat and drink, whether you fancy street food like pizza, noodles, burgers and curries, or something a bit more traditional like fish and chips or a hog roast. If you want high-end, Chef Patron Paul Askew and his team at The Art School are back with a fine-dining experience in Topham House and, new for this year, you’ll also find BOXPARK who’ll be hosting up to 2,000 in a custom-fitted container space with DJs and street food vendors including BOXPARK favourite Yoki Social Table Korean BBQ, Rock n Rogue, Filthy Fries and ChicNWings. 

Find out more here.

Don’t forget there are new discounts for 2025 too

Grand National rewards are another new addition for this year – getting to the course nice and early will pay off because for the first hour after gates open each day, racegoers can get 20% off all food and drink across the site. There’ll also be grab-and-go meal deals and, on Grand National Day, there’s £10 off bottles of Champagne.

Find out more here.

Post-race parties

It’s such a great day it’s no surprise no-one wants it to end, but you don’t have to go home as soon as the horses do.  After entertainment at Aintree, you can head into town and across the city for plenty of fantastic post-race parties, with many celebrations going on until the early hours.

Find out more here.

What is the best way to get to Aintree for Grand National opening day?

If you’re planning to come by car, there’s parking at the course but it does need to be booked online in advance. The most popular, and hassle-free, way is by bus or train, especially train because Aintree station is only a few minutes’ walk from the racecourse entrance. Merseyrail is running a special service on all three days of the festival, starting on Thursday morning when trains will run every seven-and-a-half-minutes between Liverpool Central/Moorfields and Aintree from around 11am to 1pm… and don’t forget, if you’ve spent the day in killer heels, they’ll be there as usual handing out free flip flops to help relieve the journey home.

Find out more here.

Find out more about The Grand National here.

Find all the latest Liverpool news here.