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| Point to Point is Wilmington's biggest outdoor party and fun for the whole family |
Sunday, May 5th will mark the 46th running of the steeplechase races at Winterthur. Wilmington’s most durable springtime tradition, Point to Point draws thousands of horse fans and revelers to the 20-acre former country estate of Henry Francis du Pont for a day filled with activities for the entire family.
New wristband policy opens grounds to all
Last year Winterthur did away with the fenced in, credentialed areas of Point to Point, which separated those with tailgate privileges from everyone else. Now Winterthur members can purchase wristbands and picnic on Members Hill or visit their friends freely at all of the tailgates.
General pricing
All parking and admission tickets must be purchased by Saturday, May 4 (no will call). Tailgate parking spaces start at $300 and include four adult guest wristbands. Additional tailgate wristbands are available for $60/guest or $30 under 21. Children 12 and under are free.
Winterthur Member wristbands are $60, apiece, which offers access to both Members Hill and the tailgating area. Under age 21 are $30, kids under 12 are complimentary.
Non-tailgating guest parking is free for wristband holders. A limited number of premium parking spots are also available for purchase. The event kicks off at 10:30 am and concludes at 4 pm.
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| Carriage rides at Point to Point ~ courtesy Ben Fournier Photography |
Point to Point (P2P) head planner Jill Abbott shared with us the impetus behind the admission changes and a sneak peek at the the day’s lineup.
1. Team Wilson: What sparked the recent changes in the admission requirements?
Jill Abbott: In the past, we have sold General Admission tickets to anyone and special tickets to the credentialed Tailgate area. The fencing served as a point of differentiation between the two because we did not want those populations to get too large in any one area and not have a adequate flow of crowd control.
But COVID gave us an opportunity to take a look at things differently and to make some improvements that everybody has embraced. Now we sell wristbands to Winterthur members only, and of course we still offer tailgate guest ticketing. We instituted this change last year, and the tailgate folks love it, the members love it, and it makes for a really nice event.
So, once you come into the event, it's open and inclusive for everyone, private hospitality tents aside.
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| Colorful tailgating at Point to Point 2019 |
2. TW: Are Members Hill visitors required to bring their own food and drink?
JA: Winterthur Members with wristbands are welcome to bring their own picnics. In fact, many of our partners have special picnics, such as Bar Reverie’s Point-to-Point Grazing Boxes.
But remember, this is a BYOB event. We did away with selling alcohol many years ago.
Concession Vendors
Brew HaHa! is bringing their specialty coffee. So you don’t have to stop there on your way to the races on Sunday morning.
Tom’s Craft Pizza Cones – this is a novelty, interesting and new. Tom Craft owns Five Guys, and he recently launched this new hand-held pizza cone business out of a food truck. So we think the younger crowd will be excited by this.
Bar Reverie’s Burger Tent will offer delicious burgers topped with Cooper Sharp cheese and their house-made buns and relish plus hot dogs and chocolate chip cookies.
Woodside Farms – Obviously, we've got ice cream from Woodside Farms who has been here since for as long as I have been here.
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| Blake Lively's "Betty Buzz" mocktails will be offered inside the DE Safety Council tent |
Hospitality Tents
Family Taco Tent by Sante Fe Wilmington:
We are really happy to launch a family-friendly hospitality tent this year – a lower priced, paid hospitality tent that also includes admission to Point to Point.
Our families will enjoy a taco bar, appetizers, guacamole, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages. A specialty cocktail also will be available for purchase, but that is not part of the inclusive pricing.
Advance reservations are required.
Bluecoast Rail Tent by SolDel Concepts:
This is also a paid hospitality tent but is an all-inclusive, over-21 tent because it includes alcohol as well. This is a beautiful, 100-foot-long tent right on the jump in the North field – hugely popular, sells out every year. Bluecoast offers a very high-end experience with a lovely menu, and they have a huge following. There is a lot of cross pollination with northern New Castle County folks who go down to the beach. So that's been a great partnership for us now for the third year. Again, advance reservations are required.
Hunt Brunch Tent:
This is our highest end tent hosted by Winterthur, more of a corporate and networking space. Businesses or individuals can buy a table of 10 or individual wrist bands for this section.
3. TW: What’s the buzz about Blake Lively’s Betty Buzz and where can we find those?
JA: Yes – we will have special non-alcoholic Mint Julep and Mojito cocktails at the Delaware Safety Council’s Very Important Driver (VID) tent. These non-alcoholic mixers are by actress Blake Lively’s brand Betty Buzz. We are grateful to ShopRite and the Safety Council for this terrific partnership.
4. TW: Free tickets on Avelo?
JA: WDSD 94.7 is partnering with us this year, and they are giving away a pair of tickets on Avelo Airlines at their tent. People will really want to know about this ahead of time so they can seek that out.
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| Grab your complimentary photo with Kirstie Donohue Photography |
JA: Professional photographer Kirstie Donohue is coming back this year, and she is doing complimentary photos of anyone. She will be right in the middle of everything, adjacent to the winner’s circle. And we will have a cool backdrop this year – a Chieftan Seagram green car on loan from a private donor.
6. TW: Any special themes at the May 5th event?
JA: I'm sure that there will be many Cinco de Mayo themes out there. Sure. You might even see mariachi bands rolling around. Who knows?
TW: Tips for dress?
JA: I always tell people...
#1 – wear comfortable shoes. This is a hilly site, and leading up to the event we get all sorts of weather, and the topography of this site is very hilly. So you could be in an area a lower area where it might be wet or a little muddy. You will also do a lot of walking.
#2 – bring layers. Bring things in your car. And remember, the weather in the month of May is always unpredictable.
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