Outdoors
Motor racing and outdoor events in Banburyshire
Formula 1 in July and MotoGP in August, both at Silverstone, about 17 miles from Banbury. These are the area's two big outdoor weekends, and each needs a plan for the roads and a bed well before you go.
Next 30 days
Next 30 days
Nothing is on in the next 30 days.
Later this year
Two big weekends fill this page, and both are at Silverstone. Choose the Grand Prix for the scale of it, and MotoGP for bikes. Either way, the roads are the part to plan first. On these weekends Banbury is about 17 miles from the circuit, and it will feel further.
The British Grand Prix
The British Grand Prix is Formula 1's race at Silverstone each July. It opens on the Thursday with a concert, and the cars run from Friday to Sunday. Tickets come as General Admission, grandstands, enclosures and hospitality, and the event page has the prices. Our guide from next door covers the ways in, the traffic, the walk and what you may bring. Take a shuttle or a Park and Ride if you can, because the circuit itself advises it.
For a bed, read where to stay for Silverstone, which compares the fields, the hotels and Banbury. A Grand Prix weekend from Banbury plans it from a bed in town, with Silverstone's pre-booked shuttle from the station. There is no station at Silverstone, so going by train means that shuttle.
MotoGP
The British Grand Prix MotoGP is a separate weekend in August, with its own tickets. Silverstone sells General Admission, grandstands and a Bike Club Package that adds the chance to display your own bike. Book parking with your ticket, as the circuit advises. Not every campsite opens for it, so check: Silverstone Woodlands and Windmill Farm both cover MotoGP, Whittlebury Park offers rooms and camping for the next one.
Other days at the circuit
There is more at Silverstone than these two weekends. The BRDC Classic in July is the place for old cars now that the Silverstone Festival has stopped, and CarFest holds the late-August bank holiday. Neither has a page of its own here yet. Silverstone Museum is open away from race days, and on major race weekends you need a ticket for the event and a parking pass to visit. The history of Motorsport Valley tells how Formula One settled here.
Why this page is called outdoors
Our events list files these two under outdoors, and we have no other outdoor events yet. There is no walking festival, cycling sportive or country show on our list. For outdoor days without an engine, try the Banbury Show in the park, the canal festival or a walk from the Upton House car park. Burton Dassett Hills is there for anyone who wants a big view. If your race weekend is over and you have a day left, Banbury's things to do has plenty in reach without going near the circuit.
Plan your race weekend
The two races, the village, the museum and how the sport came here.
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British Grand Prix
Event · Silverstone Circuit
Formula 1's British race at Silverstone each July. Silverstone's event page lists 2027 for 1 to 4 July, with an opening concert on the Thursday and three days of track action from Friday, including a Sprint. Its calendar story calls the 2027 list provisional.
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British Grand Prix MotoGP
Event · Silverstone Circuit
MotoGP does return to Silverstone: the British Grand Prix MotoGP runs from 13 to 15 August 2027, as round 13 of the championship, and the circuit's deal runs through 2028. Tickets and Woodcote Fields camping are on sale; other accommodation is marked as coming soon.
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Silverstone
Village · South Northamptonshire
A village of about 2,800 people half a mile north of the circuit that shares its name, with a Victorian church, one pub, a shop and an old forest beside it. Most people only meet it on race weekends. On any other day it is a quiet place and the way to Bucknell Wood.
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Silverstone Museum
Museums and galleries · Silverstone
The interactive museum of British motor racing, at Silverstone Circuit: cars and bikes from the 1940s on, RAF Silverstone's wartime story, a sim suite and a trail round parts of the old track. Adults £24 online or £29 on the day, valid for return visits for a year.
Family-friendly · Rainy days
Verified Nov 2026
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Motorsport Valley: how Formula One settled around Banbury
Story · History · 19 minute read
Motorsport Valley is the cluster of racing firms around Silverstone and Banbury. It grew from a wartime airfield, post-war engineers and people leaving one team to start another. This is the history of Formula One in the region, who is where in 2026, and how to see it.
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Escapade Silverstone
Hotel · Silverstone
A hotel inside Silverstone Circuit between Copse and Becketts: 184 bedrooms in 60 private residences of one to four bedrooms, some facing the track, with a pool, gym and restaurant.
Family-friendly · EV charging
Verified Nov 2026
Before you go
- Tickets
- Bought from Silverstone. Each race has its own, and General Admission at the Grand Prix includes the evening concerts.
- Roads
- Silverstone advises at least an extra hour on race weekend, and a shuttle or Park and Ride if you can.
- Shuttle from Banbury
- Pre-book it with Silverstone. It runs from the station, and takes about 45 to 50 minutes.
- No Silverstone Festival
- It has stopped. Older pages may still advertise it.
Race dates and stays
A short note when Silverstone's tickets, camping and shuttles open or change.
Questions
When is the British Grand Prix?
Each July at Silverstone, opening with a concert on the Thursday, with cars on track from Friday to Sunday. The event page has the dates for the next race.
When is MotoGP at Silverstone?
In August, as a separate weekend from Formula 1, with its own tickets. The event page has the next dates.
How do you get to Silverstone from Banbury?
By road it is about 17 miles, half an hour on a clear road, with at least an extra hour on race weekend. On Grand Prix days, Silverstone runs a pre-booked shuttle from Banbury station.
Where should I stay for the Grand Prix?
On the circuit if you can afford it, near it if you can find a room, and in Banbury if you want a town and a train. Our guide sets out each one.
Is the Silverstone Festival still running?
No, it has stopped. For old cars, go to the BRDC Classic in July. Our page explains what happened.