Preakness 2026 attendance to be capped at 4,800
Laurel Park will host for one year only
The Biz
February 24, 2026
What used to be a small city has now been resized to a modest family reunion.
Attendance for this year’s Preakness Stakes, which will take place at Laurel Park May 16, will be capped at 4,800 people, according to 1/ST Racing & Gaming. Daily Racing Form first reported the figure.
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For context, the Preakness Stakes drew (or claimed to draw) a record 140,237 fans in 2017 at its longtime home, Pimlico Race Course. This year’s crowd will be roughly the size of the old infield beer line.
The downsizing is courtesy of its one-year switch to Laurel Park. As part of Maryland’s Pimlico Plus plan, Pimlico has been leveled to make way for the new Old Hilltop, expected to be fully operational in 2028.
At Laurel, meanwhile, interior renovations undertaken by 1/ST Racing ground to a halt several years ago. That left a significant chunk of the grandstand without seats of any sort. In addition, the infield is mostly lake. Finally, access to the facility is essentially a one-road-in-one-road-out situation.
So for now, the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown is staging a more intimate gathering.
All 4,800 tickets will be sold as two-day packages covering both Black-Eyed Susan Friday and Preakness Saturday. Of those, 1,000 will be general admission, with the rest divvied up among “private luxury suites,” the “turfside terrace,” and dining and simulcast areas.
Tickets go on sale Wednesday. General admission is $246, while Turfside Terrace seats run $1,698. Luxury suite pricing was not disclosed — presumably because if you have to ask, you’re not sitting there.
As of Tuesday evening, Vivid Seats (link) was offering general admission seats for as low as $222.
Tickets officially go on sale Wednesday.
While 1/ST no longer owns Pimlico, having turned it over to the state, it retained the right to run the Preakness and Black-Eyed Susan through this year. After that, it will collect a licensing fee and a slice of the wagering handle.
“We are committed to providing Preakness 151 guests with a thoughtfully planned experience,” the company said.
As for horsemen, 1/ST said they’ll be accommodated much the same as at Pimlico. The biggest adjustment, it seems, will be for fans who fondly remember when the Preakness crowd required its own zip code.
Next year’s Preakness, the first under the auspices of the new Maryland Jockey Club, is likely to be unusual in its own right, as officials expect that the grandstand will not yet be open, thus requiring temporary facilities to accommodate the crowd.
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