Hastings Racecourse

Wow, lots of good reviews. I, m surprised. This review is based on our last 2 visits and is only based on the bar service. We started in the downstairs bar as there was no keno screen in the George royal room? [definitely wrong name] my wife had asked the guy upstairs for some limes for her beer. He told her he had none and she would need to go downstairs. she doesn’t drink beer without lime. The guy downstairs said ‘I don’t have any either, you’ll need to get them from the basement. She said ’ where’s the basement? he said ’ you don’t work here? and then let loose with a long diatribe about how poorly run the place is and the managers are so out of touch with the employees. Then he finally said ‘I cant get you a lime. Our crowd had 3 pitchers and by the time we got to the 3^rd they had one keg still working. UHH I guess that’s ok if you like Coors light! Why aren’t they resourced enough to change Kegs?! AS I was standing there the bartender yelled at the waitress ‘were out of the soup already!
The upstairs bar is nice and the bartender was friendly but the downstairs bar is like a downtown crack den. you almost feel bad being in there. Its not a happy crowd and the waitress acts like shes doing time!
So he racing is fun and easy! You can bet $ 2.00 win a little, the girls at the betting stalls are nice and helpful. I would stay away from the downstairs, the place really needs some help management wise. If you go outside and don’t eat or drink you’ll have fun if its sunny!

Came here Friday night and had a thoroughly good time. I’ve never been here before and it’s gorgeous inside with amazing views of the north shore mountains from the boxes that we were sitting at.
The only thing that was subpar was the food. I didn’t find anything that good but you don’t come here for the food so I can forgive that. It was very easy to place bets at the counter and check your tickets in the machine if you’ve won. With $ 2 being the minimum bet, I made multiple bets and ended up breaking even but left with a fabulous time. It was very energizing and the atmosphere was so exciting during the races. Each race runs for two laps and there’s a good 20 minutes between each race so you have time to hang out, place more bets and just relax in between.
Will definitely come back again.

This is as good as it gets locally. The attendants were friendly and showed me how to read the program. For $ 2 you can bet. But I wouldn’t bother betting as I’m not a gambler. But watching the horses race is fun. They have this magazine called The Professors picks which is interesting however I still lost using it. It did correctly pick the first race winner when I was here. Interesting read nonetheless. The food is decent for what it is and this is can either be a cheap afternoon if you don’t gamble or an expensive one if you do.

During the peak season, this place is actually fun. I’ve never made any bets, my friends do but there is a cool vibe in this place. Mostly older people come to check this out but it is still fun none the less. We come here at the same time as the PNE just to get a different feel for the grounds. Also the bathroom lines are shorter and some of the food stalls are shorter as well. Very awesome scenery in the background. Cool to watch if you love horses.

Recommended place for new entertainment action. A lot more nicer than I recall in my childhood days, though it’s the same over-​priced grease food. Gone are the malts and cheap ice cream Revello bars.
When I was here in the summer, it’s a great place to check out not just the race, but the awesome views right in front of you. Kinda amazing how much more I appreciated it instead of driving by all the time haha.
There’s also a room where you can computer-​bet on other horses around the world, in a keno-​like fashion. Definitely expanding its services to grab your every dollar.
Plus the entrance right to the casino is even more action.

We had such a fun time there!
You can come for a whole day or just stop by for a couple of hours. Bet or not — excitement is guaranteed.
Food selection is not amazing: mostly burgers, cheap beer and a couple of food trucks. However that’s not what you come here for.
A staff member came up to us to see if we need any help understanding how the racing works and what type of bets we can place. This made the whole experience so much more enjoyable.
P. S.: The view from the bleachers is gorgeous

First off, it doesn’t cost anything to go, which is a major win in my books.
Show up and lounge around in the sun, with some drinks and some eats while watching other people bet, or put some money down on those ponies.
The booze is on the spendy side. $ 7 for a Growers Cider, $ 6 for a crap beer like Canadian.
The food is of the the deep fried and bad for you variety, and seriously lacking in options for non meat eaters. Although I’ve heard that if you’re in one of the $ 30/​day boxes you can order veggie burgers.
Fridays are cask night and the best event of the year is the Weiner Dog Races every summer.

A great way to spend a nice weekend. With views of the mountains and water the track has an amazing view. I have been coming here since I was kid, so it is a special place for me, but makes a great day of entertainment for anyone. Also, works well as a company functions. The food isn’t very good though, so keep that in mind.

I’ve been coming to this place since I was younger and I always enjoyed watching a few races whenever I was there. I even made a few quick bucks on occasions.
It’s quite an enjoyable place to visit. And for $ 2 per bet, it’s definitely worth placing a few bets if you got the money to spend. The only thing I wished is that they have a bit more places for us to watch while it’s raining. And recently, if I remembered correctly, I believe they started to have mobile ticketing machines so the people could place a few bets without having to go back inside to place them. So convenience is definitely starting to pick up at this business.
And the best part is, it’s only around the corner to PNE’s Playland. So if families that goes here wanted to go there could do so with a lot less travelling.

As much as I try not to like horse racing and the things that come with horses racing (broken legs, euthanasia), this is a fun place for everyone.
My stepkids LOVE watching and placing $ 2 bets on the horses (we’re starting them early, ha ha joke.)
However, the BC Cup Day is the best. Everyone is out in their finest and crazy hats, the men are dressed up (as it should be!) and there is beer to be had! Beer! Horses!

I recently was introduced to horseracing at this venue. It is very spacious and has all the comforts of home (vendors serving hotdogs, burgers, beer, an indoor bar, etc.). Betting is very easy and a super amount of fun. Minimum bet of $ 2 which certainly won’t break the bank. I do find that betting makes the race much more interesting, which is not surprising. The staff was very patient and entirely helpful. They are avid fans themselves and provided wonderful tips on how to bet. It is much more fun to go in kind weather as you can probably imagine. I believe they race every Friday but make sure this is the case before you go. Usually 8 races in one evening but you can stay for only one if you like. No entrance fee either!

Fantastic Time for a family in Vancouver!
We went on a Saturday afternoon to the races with our 8yo son. Had a wonderful time!
Races are timed just right to keep interest and the staff couldn’t be better. Overhead heaters made it comfortable and the hot dogs were delicious, huge and only $ 5.
Cashiers were efficient and pleasant, never a long line, and made someone winning $ 1 feel as important as $ 100 bettors.
Big variety in the crowd: jeans to top hats and heels. Betting can be as little as $ 2 which makes it fun yet not costly.
Programs are well done and easy to understand. Announcer is the best!
You cannot go wrong here!!!

A friend of mine celebrated their birthday party here and it happened to coincide with the BC Cup. We’d been warned that there’s a dress code so we dressed up like ladies and gentlemen donning our best hats: We were the anomaly. Well there were a couple of families looking very elegant but for the most part the stakes weren’t very high for fashion.
I’m not much of a gambler and prefer to spend my money on a sure thing — like smokies and beer. I also found out they make a pretty good Bloody Caesar with a nicely pickled green bean for garnish. The Granville Island beer infused bratwurst were yummy topped with banana peppers, sauerkraut and mustard.
We hung out for a few hours, cheered on the horses our friends had bet on and had a rather civilised BC Day. I won’t be rushing back but it wasn’t a bad way to spend the afternoon.

We finally went over to Hastings Racecourse after being curious about the place for a while. The final draw for us being the Wiener dog racing that took place last month.
It was so cute and fun. (see above pic’t of winner)
My preconceived generalizations about horse racing and gambling in general are what held me back up to this point but Hastings turns out to be a casual, non intimidating, fun way to spend any afternoon. It’s an experience for anyone!
There’s no pressure to bet until you’re ready and you can keep your bets low.
Other on-​site entertainment includes a casino and various food vendors.
The viewing stands for the races are partially covered and you can bet from up there on machines.
The races themselves are pretty exciting to watch too!
Yet another east side attraction, right near the PNE. and New Brighton Park.

This was my first time to a racecourse, so I don’t really have a whole lot to compare it to. I think when you have to add gambling to a sport to make it interesting, I stop caring about the sport itself… and the only gambling I can get into is poker.
HOWEVER, I was able to bear witness to something AWESOME: WIENER DOG RACES… there’s no betting here, it’s just an overwhelming wall of cuteness running around in dirt that goes up to their cute little bellies. I don’t think this happens every weekend, check the schedule. (It would be 5 stars if I was just reviewing that)
Bonus amusement: listening to people’s varied betting strategies.
«Just go with your gut — that’s the best way»
«I like the name the best, pick that one»
«Don’t just pick 1,2,3, you never see lottery numbers come up like that»

This place is only depressing if you make it so. Sure, there are folks here who probably like gambling a little too much, but it’s a fun place to go with friends on a Friday night. Bet your $ 2 on the horse with the silliest name, buy beer for $ 3.50 and scream as your horse runs by. I always dress to the nines when I go here anyway, even if nobody else does — more fun that way!
Plus, on Friday nights in the summer they show free movies after the races are done. I’m going here tonight for ponies and the Breakfast Club!

I love a day at the races when everyone dresses up to the nines. Ladies in their hats and frocks and men in their penguin suits. The champagne flows freely and by the end of the day the men have loosened the ties and are wearing the hats and then women have their heels in hand. This unfortunately is more of the lone men gambling their childrens college fund type of racetrack. The venue seems tired and could do with a facelift. For a private event this could be a fun place to go but on a regular evening it is depressing as a holocaust movie.