People at Aintree kick off the party in backless dresses and stunning fascinators while enjoying prosecco before Ladies Day – with couples spreading love

The champagne is flowing freely at Aintree where the booze-fuelled Ladies Day celebrations are underway. 

At the annual racing festival in Merseyside, clear handbags and bottles of champagne can be seen scattered across the racecourse on the sunny second day. Couples are enjoying the spring weather and soaking up the love in the air.

Ladies Day takes place each year on day two of the three-day festival, concluding on Saturday with the famed Grand National race.

One of the main attractions today is the fashion on display, with women flaunting a variety of stylish outfits ranging from ruffled dresses to thigh-skimming skirts and bold statement headpieces. The color that seems to be dominating this racing season is a cheerful buttery yellow.

Throughout the warmest day of the year so far, guests have been seen sipping on glasses of chilled prosecco, rosé, and cocktails while they cheer on the races. As the day progresses, many are kicking off their wedge heels to unwind and enjoy a night of celebrations.

Snaps of the occasion show revellers on the floor and even in bushes as they make the most of the annual celebration. 

About 50,000 people were expected at the Merseyside racecourse for the second day of the Randox Grand National Festival, which is known for its fashion.

Punters enjoyed the April sunshine on Friday, which could be the UK’s warmest day of the year so far.

Ladies Day regular Gill Carpenter, 58, from Lydiate in Sefton, was one of many who had chosen a hot pink coloured outfit. 

She said: ‘Aintree’s special anyway but Aintree in the sun, you just can’t beat it. I love a bit of pink, who doesn’t love a bit of pink on Ladies Day?’

She accessorised her off-the-shoulder dress with a huge handmade floral fascinator but said: ‘It’s surprisingly light, I can’t really feel it. Ask me again at about 4pm!’

Viv Jenner, 51, had also made her own headwear – a white and red fascinator with butterflies and feathers – but needed to ensure she was able to transport it from her home in Ascot.

She said: ‘My remit was that I needed a hat that I could fit in a hatbox that was compliant to the airline specifications.

‘Because a lot of this is on wires, I was able to take it out of the box and unfold all the wires and it became literally twice the size.’

Eilish Waters, 55, from Hexham, Northumberland, topped her red outfit off with a large hat in the shape of a rose which she said would help her husband Alex, 80, spot her in the crowd.

She said: ‘My sense of direction is rubbish so if I get lost he’ll find me!’

Racegoers were able to enter the annual Style Awards as they arrived at the course on Friday, with a £3,000 River Island voucher on offer for the two best-dressed. 

Hair salon owner Andrea Connell, 55, from Wigan, said she and the 11 friends she was at Aintree with spent almost a year planning their outfits.

‘We have a group chat with everybody sharing ideas,’ she said.

Her friend Denise Alker, 75, from Bolton, added: ‘We just absolutely love everything about Ladies Day. The feeling of the place, the ambience, it’s just so wonderful, and of course you can’t forget the racing.’

Heather Burnside, 56, from Edinburgh, who co-ordinated a gold fascinator and dress, said the day combined her two passions – racing and glamour.

She said: ‘I saw the fascinator and then just got the rest of the outfit to go with it.

‘I always like something that’s a wee bit different so I thought this was spot on.’

This year, for the first time, the most sustainably dressed racegoer will also be recognised; winning a £1,000 River Island voucher, two Garden Club tickets to Ladies Day next year, hospitality for two at any Aintree fixture over the next year and River Island gifts costing £1,000.

And the competition is fierce. 

Racing fans picked their most ornate fascinators, decorated with flowers, mesh, rhinestones, and oversized bows, to match their Ladies’ Day ensembles. 

Even though Barbie was released over two years ago, it appeared the bright pink shade that was all the rage in 2023 is just as hot today – with several revellers opting for monochromatic fuschia looks. 

One especially striking ensemble included a flamboyant, ruffled off-the-shoulder peplum top worn with a matching pencil skirt, and a hat that concealed its wearer’s face entirely. 

While it’s all about the style on Ladies Day, revellers will also be looking forward to the party later this afternoon as the drinks flow freely and gleeful racing fans enjoy the fruits of their wins on the course.

On Thursday an estimated 23,000 merry spectators descended on the Merseyside course to enjoy the booze-fuelled festivities.

Excited revellers appeared in high spirits as they partied their way through the afternoon, with many pictured with beaming smiles as the sun shone down sunglass sheltered spectators.

Partiers packed out stands with their best dance moves as several were pictured boogying the afternoon amid a sea of empty beer glasses and drained Prosecco buckets.

Among the racegoers was the Princess Royal, who attended a lunch held by charity Racing Welfare, of which she is president, before watching the first race of the day.

 The racecourse was a sea of colour this morning as patrons started arriving at Aintree station in Liverpool.

Racegoers embraced the warmer April weather in sleeveless dresses with plunging necklines and figure-hugging skirts as day one of the Merseyside racing meet got underway on Thursday.

And as the afternoon settled in across the Grand National Festival, revellers grew increasingly raucous.

Several were pictured basking in the sunshine as they flopped next to empty jugs of booze, with many puffing away on cigarettes.

As the races got underway, many wild partiers were seen cheering from the stands while guzzling flutes of Prosecco.

More than 150,000 people are expected to descend on the course for the three-day racing festival. 

While Cheltenham is all about the tweedy country looks, Aintree is its more glamorous cousin – and the flamboyant outfits in hues like yellow, bright blue, and fuschia pink did not disappoint.

Arriving at the racecourse in Liverpool, attendees could be seen holding on to their hats to keep them from flying off before settling in for a windy afternoon of drinking, dancing, and betting.

Dressed to impress, racing fans celebrated the arrival of spring in floral-patterned maxi dresses, fascinators with blooming accents, off-shoulder ensembles, and open-toed stilletos.

Unlike Royal Ascot which adopts stricter rules on what to wear, Aintree takes a more relaxed approach and tells attendees to simply come ‘dressed to feel your best’.

Fancy dress for revellers is also allowed, as long as the costume isn’t offensive or derogatory.

The Grand National on Saturday, known as the People’s Race, drawing national attention in a way that perhaps no other horse race is able to do.