COMMUTERS and visitors to Chester are urged to provide extra time for their journeys over the next few days as the city welcomes back two popular attractions.

For the first time since 2019, the Chester Races May Festival will be held in front of crowds at Chester Racecourse, with tens of thousands of spectators expected over the three-day event from Wednesday-Friday, May 4-6.

And also making a return will be the Pat Collins Funfair, which is being held in the nearby Little Roodee Car Park.

As part of the events, Nuns Road will be closed off to traffic, with Lower Watergate Street also closed on race days up to the Holiday Inn. Diversions will be in place.

The opening day of the festival on Wednesday, May 4, City Day, will include feature races Lily Agnes Stakes and the Cheshire Oaks & Chester Vase, with £100k prize money at stake.

Thursday sees the highlight of the meeting for all of the ladies with Ladies Day and the Dee Stakes and Ormonde Stakes, again with a £100k prize fund.

And on the final day, Friday, May 6, the TOTE Chester Cup Day takes place with feature races; Huxley Stakes, with £125k prize money, Chester Plate and The Chester Cup – the feature race of the festival with £150k prize money.

The Pat Collins Funfair officially opens today (Thursday, April 28), with a couple of new features joining the usual complement of rides and stalls.

For the first time in Pat Collins’ history, the family funfair will have talented touring artist Tess Radcliffe, who is running unique workshops helping visitors create amazing iconic fairground art to take home.

The fair, which runs until May 8, will also have a main stage providing entertainment.