Staines Road East · Sunbury-on-Thames · Surrey TW16 5AQ
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Kempton's biggest fixture falls on Boxing Day, which happens to be the one day of the year when Britain's railway largely shuts down. Thousands of people book tickets for the King George without ever checking that, and then find out in the third week of December.
The King George VI Chase, one of the best jump races in the calendar, on a day with effectively no train service anywhere in the country. If you have tickets, the journey is not something to sort out later.
Boxing Day: brilliant racing, no railway
This is not a minor inconvenience, it is the defining logistical fact of Kempton's biggest day, and it catches people out every single year.
The network is largely closed
Boxing Day sees minimal or no rail services across most of Britain. Anyone planning to travel to Sunbury by train on the twenty-sixth needs a different plan, and December is a bad month to be looking for one.
Everyone wants a car at once
A national holiday with no railway means private hire demand across the whole South East rises sharply. Availability on the day is genuinely poor, and pricing reflects it.
Or earlier
Our Boxing Day vehicles are committed well before Christmas. This is one of a handful of dates in the year where booking late frequently means not going.
Empty roads
The compensation is that the roads on Boxing Day are the quietest of the year. The journey from Kent is faster on the twenty-sixth than on any other day we run it.
Kempton beyond Boxing Day
The course runs a busy all-weather programme alongside its jump racing, so there is far more here than one December afternoon.
| Fixture | When | Note |
|---|---|---|
| King George VI Chase | 26 December | The headline. No trains, high demand, book by November. |
| Christmas Festival | 26–27 December | Two days of quality jump racing over the holiday period. |
| Floodlit all-weather evenings | Year round | Midweek evening racing, small crowds, easy access and low fares. |
| Summer jump and flat fixtures | Varies | Straightforward afternoons with light traffic. |
| Family and themed days | School holidays | Daytime, with entertainment. A lot of kit to carry. |
| Corporate and hospitality days | Varies | Collection timed to the package, invoiced on account. |
Sunbury from Kent
Kempton sits west of London near the M3, so from our patch it is the M25 anticlockwise. Two sets of timings below, because Boxing Day is genuinely quicker than a normal day.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Normal day | Boxing Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 54 miles | 85–120 min | 65–80 min |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 48 miles | 80–110 min | 60–75 min |
| Bexleyheath & Welling | 40 miles | 75–105 min | 55–70 min |
| Sidcup & Bexley | 38 miles | 70–100 min | 55–70 min |
| Bromley & Orpington | 34 miles | 65–95 min | 50–65 min |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 40 miles | 70–100 min | 55–70 min |
| Rochester, Chatham & Gillingham | 63 miles | 95–130 min | 75–90 min |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 60 miles | 95–125 min | 75–90 min |
| Sittingbourne & Faversham | 72 miles | 110–145 min | 85–100 min |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 86 miles | 125–160 min | 100–120 min |
| Central London | 18 miles | 45–75 min | 30–45 min |
Planning a Kempton day
Book Boxing Day in November
We would rather say this plainly than have people disappointed. Boxing Day is one of about four dates a year where our vehicles genuinely run out, alongside New Year's Eve and the Six Nations Saturdays. The combination of a national holiday, no railway and a marquee sporting fixture means demand across the whole South East concentrates into a few hours. If you have King George tickets, sort the transport as soon as you have them.
The rest of the year is the opposite
Outside the Christmas festival, Kempton is an easy and inexpensive booking. Floodlit all-weather evenings run through the year with modest crowds, straightforward access and low fares, and they suit a midweek group outing very well. If you want a raceday without the occasion or the price, these are worth knowing about.
Christmas timings and the family question
A lot of Boxing Day bookings are family groups where the driving would otherwise fall to whoever drew the short straw on the one day of the year everybody wants a drink. Multiple pick-ups across Kent on the way out are standard for these, and it means grandparents, cousins and the rest all arrive together rather than in a convoy of half-empty cars.
Where we collect from
The roads around Sunbury are ordinary suburban streets and they fill quickly when a full house leaves. We hold position on the wider approaches rather than at the gate, which is a short walk and a much faster exit. On Boxing Day, with the roads otherwise empty, the run home is genuinely quick once you are moving.
Kempton Park travel questions
Boxing Day first, because that is what most people are asking about.
Do trains run to Kempton on Boxing Day?
Largely, no. Rail services across most of Britain are suspended or minimal on the twenty-sixth of December, which includes the lines serving Sunbury and Kempton Park. Anyone planning to travel by train that day needs another plan, and the sooner the better.
How far ahead should we book for the King George?
By November, and earlier if you can. Boxing Day is one of the few dates in our year where vehicles genuinely sell out, because a national holiday with no railway concentrates demand across the entire region into one afternoon.
Is the journey quicker on Boxing Day?
Noticeably. The roads on the twenty-sixth are the emptiest of the year, and the run from Kent is faster than on any normal day. That is the one advantage of the date and it is a real one.
Do you cover the floodlit evening fixtures?
Yes, and they are among the easier and cheaper racedays we run. Midweek all-weather evenings have small crowds, simple access and low demand on our vehicles, so they are a good option at short notice.
Can you collect a family group from several addresses?
Yes, and it is very common for Boxing Day. One vehicle collecting from several houses across Kent on the way out means everybody travels together and nobody has to drive on the one day of the year they would rather not.
Where will you collect us after racing?
From the wider approach roads rather than immediately outside. Sunbury's local streets fill quickly when the course empties, so a short walk means a considerably faster departure.
Can you take a large group?
Yes, up to forty-nine seats, though most Kempton bookings are cars, V Class and minibuses. For Boxing Day in particular, larger vehicles need booking earliest.
Is the fare fixed, including on Boxing Day?
Yes. We quote at the point of booking and that figure holds. There is no holiday surcharge applied afterwards, which is worth checking with anyone else you are comparing against.
What if racing is abandoned?
Winter jump fixtures are weather-dependent and it does happen. Tell us as soon as you know and we will move or cancel the booking without a fee subject to our normal notice period.
Do you cover the twenty-seventh as well?
Yes, the Christmas festival runs over two days and the second is usually easier to book. Rail services partially resume, but demand is still high and the roads are still quiet.
Other courses and guides
Where else we go, and the December dates worth planning.