What to Wear to Listowel Races: A Man's Guide
Listowel Harvest Racing Festival · 20–26 September 2026
The Listowel Harvest Racing Festival runs from Sunday 20th to Saturday 26th September 2026, and for a week the Island becomes the best-dressed field in Munster. It is the last big festival of the Irish season, and half the pleasure of it is the looking.
We have been dressing Kerry men from 49 Ashe Street in Tralee since 1965, and a fair share of the lads standing in front of those judges came through our door first.
So here is what actually works at Listowel — written by people who stand at the rail and watch it every year.
Two ways to get it wrong
The mistake most men make
There are two ways to get race day wrong, and both are common.
The first is dressing for a wedding. A plain dark suit, white shirt, sober tie. It is perfectly respectable and it disappears completely. A racecourse in September is not a church.
The second is dressing for a match. Jeans, a quarter-zip, runners. Grand for the Sunday family day, but you will feel underdressed on the Thursday and you will feel it all afternoon.
Race day sits in its own register
Smart, textured, and a little bit of colour. Think of it as the one occasion in the year where a bit of personality in your clothes is not just allowed but expected.
If you take one thing from this guide
Start with the jacket. Tweed is the answer.
A tweed or textured jacket is the single most useful thing you can wear to Listowel. It photographs well, it handles a shower, it looks better the more it is worn, and it is the cloth the whole occasion is built around.
Green, brown, heather blue, a soft check — all correct. A plain navy blazer is fine and always will be, but on a racecourse it is the safe answer rather than the right one.
Full suit or jacket and trousers? Both work. A three-piece with a waistcoat is the sharper option and it reads well in photographs, which matters if you are entering the competition. A jacket with contrasting trousers is easier to wear and easier to reuse afterwards.
More on cloth and cut in our guide to men's blazers in Tralee.
The paragraph to read twice
Shoes: the part everyone underestimates
You will be standing on grass. In Kerry. In September. Leather soles on wet turf are miserable and, if it has rained, genuinely slippery. Every year somebody arrives in beautiful thin-soled shoes and spends the afternoon regretting it.
- Brogues or a country boot with a rubber sole — the right answer. Brown, tan or oxblood.
- Chelsea boots — smart, practical, and they keep the wet out at the ankle.
- Black formal shoes — save them for black tie. On a racecourse they read as office wear.
- Runners — fine on the family day, nowhere near it on the Thursday.
Break them in beforehand. A day at the races is a long day on your feet. If you need a hand, we wrote a guide on choosing the right shoes for a suit.
September in Kerry does what it likes
The weather is part of the outfit
Plan for it rather than hope. A waistcoat is the most useful layer you can add — it holds the look together when the jacket comes off in the sun, and it adds warmth when it does not. A fine knit under the jacket does the same job more casually.
On the coat: bring one you are happy to be photographed in. A wax jacket over tweed is a properly Irish look and nobody at Listowel will think twice about it. What does not work is a technical rain shell over a three-piece.
How far to go
Colour and pattern
The men who catch the eye are not the loudest. They are the ones where everything agrees.
One pattern leads, everything else supports
If the jacket is a check, keep the shirt plain and the tie quiet. If the suit is plain, that is where a patterned tie or a bolder pocket square earns its place.
Autumn colours belong here — rust, mustard, forest green, burgundy, tobacco. They sit well against a September field and they photograph warm.
Two things to avoid: matching your tie and pocket square exactly out of the same set, and more than three competing patterns at once.
What finishes it
The details
- Shirt. Plain white, pale blue or a soft check under a patterned jacket. Our formal and dress shirts start at €79.95.
- Tie. Wool, knitted or textured silk beats a shiny business tie on a racecourse. Tie and pocket square sets are €29.95, and our guide on how to choose a tie covers width and knot.
- Pocket square. Complements the tie, does not match it.
- A hat. A flat cap or a felt trilby is entirely at home at Listowel. Wear it because it suits you, not because you saw one in a photograph.
- Socks. Somebody will notice. Make it deliberate.
Seven days, seven moods
The week has different days
Listowel runs for seven days and they do not all call for the same thing.
Full daily details and competition entry are on the Listowel Races website.
From the rail
If you are entering Best Dressed Man
We sponsor it, so we watch it closely. A few honest observations:
- Fit beats everything. An ordinary jacket that fits your shoulders will always beat an expensive one that does not. This is the single most common reason a good outfit does not place.
- Have a point of view. The winners tend to have one idea they have committed to — a cloth, a colour, a period — rather than five good pieces that do not talk to each other.
- Look comfortable in it. Judges notice a man wearing his clothes, not a man being worn by them. If you have never worn a waistcoat before, wear it for an evening first.
- Mind the finish. Pressed, brushed, shoes done, tie sitting properly. It is the cheapest thing on this list and it is where most men lose marks.
- Do not leave it to the week itself. Alterations take time and the good sizes go early.
49 Ashe Street, Tralee
Getting sorted at Ryle's
We're about half an hour from Listowel, and race week is our favourite week of the year.
Coming from outside Tralee? Plenty of our race-week customers do — here's what to know if you're travelling from Killarney. Come in early enough that there's room to alter the fit rather than settling for close enough.
Straight answers
Frequently asked questions
Is there a dress code at Listowel Races?
There is no enforced dress code, but race week has a strong tradition of dressing up, and the style competitions run across most days of the festival. Smart casual is the floor; on the Thursday and Friday most people go further.
What should a man wear to Listowel Races?
A tweed or textured jacket, either as part of a suit or with contrasting trousers, a plain shirt, a wool or knitted tie, and brogues or boots with a rubber sole for wet grass. Add a waistcoat if you want the sharper version.
Can I wear a normal suit to the races?
You can, and you will look perfectly respectable. But a plain dark business suit tends to disappear on a racecourse. Texture and a bit of colour are what make an outfit read as race day rather than office.
What shoes should I wear to the races in Ireland?
Brogues, country boots or Chelsea boots with a rubber sole. You will be standing on grass, and September in Kerry is rarely dry. Leave thin leather soles and black formal shoes at home.
When is Best Dressed Man at Listowel Races 2026?
Thursday 24th September 2026, during the Listowel Harvest Racing Festival, which runs from 20th to 26th September. Ryle Menswear sponsors the competition. Entry details are on the Listowel Races website.
Where can I buy or hire a race day outfit in Kerry?
Ryle Menswear, 49 Ashe Street, Tralee — about half an hour from Listowel. Tweed jackets and three-piece suits to buy, suit hire from €150, and fittings in store. We have been at it since 1965.
Ryle Menswear — 49 Ashe Street, Tralee, Co. Kerry. Dressing Kerry men since 1965.
Proud sponsors of the Best Dressed Man competition at the Listowel Harvest Racing Festival.