This Weekend: Foxfield Races

Need an excuse to go day drinking outside, surrounded by beautiful women in sun dresses and horses with tiny men atop them? Two words: Foxfield Races.

Held biannually near Charlottesville, Virginia (about two-and-a-half hours southwest of Arlington), Foxfield is a steeplechase that takes place on the last Saturday in April and the first Sunday in September. If you've never heard of it, you should make friends with local UVA alumni; they'll be sure to tell you just how much you're missing.

Tickets to attend Foxfield are only $40, but you've got to figure out parking (that costs extra) and housing (you'll be getting drunk and not driving home). Tickets are all sold out on the official site, but Craig's List had a few postings the last time Nightlife checked.


Dress accordingly. The weather's skittish in the Spring, so it'll probably rain, and you'll probably get muddy. Something khaki, pastel, seersucker... maybe a bow tie if you can fit it into your ensemble. Saunter over to Brooks Brothers or Vineyard Vines for some style tips, or just do your damndest to look like this guy.

For the ladies, pick a sun dress and a big floppy hat. Wear boots if it looks like rain. Pick something you may not mind not wearing again, as you'll be shotgunning Natty Ice and drinking God knows what.

Take a few extra dollars. You're going to lose them. It's called betting.

Other than that, have fun. Don't do anything we wouldn't do.