As an Irish milliner who has attended some of the world's most prestigious race meetings from Hong Kong Shatin to Dubai World Cup Races to Royal Ascot and Preakness in Maryland, I know firsthand how important the perfect hat is to your race day experience. Here is my personal guide to the major race meetings and hat wearing events of 2026 — with dress codes, dates and inspiration for what to wear.
🇮🇪 Ireland
Punchestown Festival — 29 April to 3 May 2026
For tickets and information → Visit Official Website
Ladies Day: Thursday 30 April
Dress code: Formal / Smart elegant
See the best dressed looks from Punchestown 2025
Tattersalls Irish Guineas Weekend — 23 to 24 May 2026, The Curragh, Co. Kildare
Dress code: Smart elegant — hats and fascinators strongly encouraged
The Lodge at Ashford Castle Ladies Day — 22 June 2026, Ballinrobe Racecourse, Co. Mayo
Dress code: Smart elegant — a highly popular evening flat racing meet in Mayo known for outstanding regional style.
Ballinrobe Racecourse Official Site
Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival — 26 to 28 June 2026, The Curragh, Co. Kildare
Dress code: Formal elegant — one of the most glamorous weekends on the Irish racing calendar, featuring massive headwear statements alongside world-class racing.
See the best dressed looks from Irish Derby 2025
Juddmonte Irish Oaks Weekend — 18 to 19 July 2026, The Curragh, Co. Kildare
Dress code: Smart elegant — hats and fascinators very much part of the occasion
Galway Races — 27 July to 2 August 2026
Ladies Day / g Hotel Best Dressed Lady: Thursday 30 July
Dress code: Smart casual to formal — famous for its high-stakes, dedicated standalone prize explicitly for the Best Hat.
Check out Best Dressed Galway Races 2025
Ladies Day at the RDS Dublin Horse Show — 7 August 2026, RDS, Dublin
Dress code: Highly traditional and creative — strictly focused on top-tier millinery and sustainable dressing. One of Ireland's most hat-focused fashion events of the year.
Dublin Horse Show Official Site
Shop Dublin Horse Show Millinery
Irish Champions Festival — 12 to 13 September 2026
Day 1: Saturday 12 September — Leopardstown Racecourse, Dublin
Day 2: Sunday 13 September — The Curragh Racecourse, Co. Kildare
Dress code: Formal elegant — head-to-toe classic coordination where your hat anchors the complete silhouette.
🏆 The Longines Prize for Elegance is judged independently on both days — two chances to win Ireland's most prestigious style award.
Want to dress like a winner? Noeleen Millinery is a previous winner of the Longines Prize for Elegance — and so is one of her clients. Browse the collection and wear a hat handcrafted by an award-winning Irish milliner.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Chelsea Flower Show — 19 to 23 May 2026, London
Dress code: Smart casual — hats very popular, Royal attendance
Chelsea Flower Show Official Site
Noeleen Millinery Floral Crown Headpiece
Epsom Derby — 6 June 2026, Epsom Downs
Dress code: Smart/Cocktail — hats and fascinators strongly encouraged
Epsom Derby 2026 Official Site
Noeleen Millinery Pillbox Hat
Royal Ascot — 16 to 20 June 2026
Ladies Day: Thursday 19 June
Dress code: Formal — hats mandatory in the Royal Enclosure
For tickets and information → Royal Ascot 2026
Noeleen Millinery Orange and Peach Large Hat at Royal Ascot
Henley Royal Regatta — 30 June to 4 July 2026, Oxfordshire
Dress code: Smart/Formal — hats essential in the Stewards' Enclosure
Henley Royal Regatta Official Website
Noeleen Millinery Black and White Fly Away Bow Headpiece
Shop Noeleen Millinery Ready To Wear Hats
Glorious Goodwood — 28 July to 1 August 2026
Dress code: Smart casual to cocktail — hats very much part of the culture
Noeleen Millinery Wide Brim Oval Special Occasion Hat
🇺🇸 United States — Triple Crown & Hat Events 2026
Kentucky Derby — 2 May 2026, Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky
Dress code: Garden Party/Festive — bold colours, statement hats mandatory, sundresses and fascinators welcome
Noeleen Millinery client wearing a parisisal straw asymmetrical hat in yellow and navy
Preakness Black-Eyed Susan Day — 15 May 2026, Pimlico, Baltimore, Maryland
Dress code: Smart casual to cocktail — floral themes, hats and fascinators encouraged, yellow/black colour theme popular
Preakness Stakes Official Site
Noeleen Millinery Headpiece in Maryland Flag Colours
Shop Preakness Stakes Millinery
Preakness Stakes — 16 May 2026, Pimlico, Baltimore, Maryland
Dress code: Smart casual to cocktail — hats and fascinators strongly encouraged
Preakness Stakes Official Site
Shop Preakness Stakes Millinery
Belmont Stakes — 6 June 2026, Saratoga Springs, New York
Dress code: Smart casual — hats welcome, less formal than Kentucky Derby but still dressy
🎩 Central Park Conservancy Hat Luncheon — 6 May 2026, New York
Dress code: Formal/Creative — elaborate hats are the centrepiece, the more spectacular the better!
Central Park Conservancy Official Website
In 2025, Noeleen Millinery was commissioned to create a headpiece for the Co-Chair of the Central Park Conservancy Hat Luncheon, New York — a stunning sculptural piece representing the iconic Central Park skyline. As featured in Evoke.ie.
Shop Noeleen Millinery Spring Summer Collection
🇫🇷 France
Prix de Diane, Chantilly — 14 June 2026
Dress code: Elegant formal — the French Royal Ascot, spectacular millinery essential
Noeleen Millinery Straw and Silk Hat
🇩🇪 Germany
Hamburg Derby — 5 July 2026, Hamburg Racetrack
Dress code: Smart elegant — Germany's most glamorous race day, hats and fascinators very much part of the occasion
Find Your Perfect Race Day Hat
Planning your race day outfit? Browse the Noeleen Millinery ready to wear collection — each piece individually handcrafted in Ireland with the finest materials and ready to ship within days.
All hats and headpieces in the Noeleen Millinery online shop are ready to ship and can be with you within days — perfect if your race day is coming up soon!
Can't find your perfect colour? Contact us and we'll do our best to help.