Luxury Sedan
The default choice for airport runs, executive travel and dinner reservations across Miami and Miami Beach.
- Airport transfers
- Executive travel
- Hourly chauffeur
Guide
Planning Your Visit to the Winter Equestrian Festival
What the festival is, when to go, how to get there and what it costs to look around — a practical plan for a first visit to Wellington’s winter show season.
- 5.0 13 Google reviews
- 24/7 Dispatch, every day
- 3–55 Passengers per vehicle
- 8 Airports incl. private FBO
For three months each winter the Winter Equestrian Festival turns Wellington into the center of the show-jumping world, and a first visit rewards a little planning. This guide walks through what the festival actually is, when to go, how to reach the showgrounds, what it costs to look around, and how a spectator’s day differs from an exhibitor’s season — so you arrive knowing what to expect.
- 13 weeks Season, January–April
- 70+ Competition divisions
- Free General admission
- 11–14 mi To Trump International (DJT)
Fleet
Browse the fleet
Every class is operated in house — a 3-passenger sedan through a 55-passenger coach. Pick one and we will quote it for your trip.
Luxury SUV
Extra room for luggage and golf bags, and the fleet standard for families and private aviation transfers.
- Family arrivals
- Private jet & FBO
- Cruise port transfers
Jet Sprinter
A private-cabin van with lounge seating — the small-group option when a second SUV would split the party.
- Small groups
- Client roadshows
- Nights out
Executive Sprinter
Captain-style seating for corporate teams, wedding parties and conference shuttles that travel together.
- Corporate teams
- Wedding parties
- Conference shuttles
Mini Bus
A step up from a Sprinter for hotel shuttles, group arrivals and event transport around Miami-Dade.
- Hotel shuttles
- Group arrivals
- Event transport
Mini Bus
Moves a full wedding, a corporate offsite or a convention group in a single vehicle rather than a convoy.
- Weddings
- Corporate offsites
- Convention groups
Charter Bus
Full-size motorcoach for conferences, cruise groups and long-distance charters across South Florida.
- Conferences
- Cruise groups
- Long-distance charter
1 / 7
At a glance
The festival in brief
- The event The Winter Equestrian Festival — described as the largest and longest-running equestrian competition in the world.
- The venue Wellington International (formerly the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center), 3400 Equestrian Club Drive, Wellington, FL 33414.
- The season Thirteen weeks each year, running from January into early April.
- Open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, roughly 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; daytime general admission is free.
- Saturday Night Lights The weekly grand prix — gates at 6 p.m., the class at 7 p.m., free general admission.
- Parking General parking and Saturday-night valet at the showgrounds, plus free parking and a shuttle at the Equestrian Village.
- Nearest airport Trump International (DJT) — approx. 11–14 mi, approx. 20–25 min east of Wellington.
What the Winter Equestrian Festival is
Held every winter in Wellington, the Winter Equestrian Festival is billed as the largest and longest-running equestrian competition anywhere, and the scale behind that claim is real. It stretches across thirteen weeks and more than seventy divisions, spanning everyone from young riders and amateurs to the world’s top show-jumping professionals. Everything happens at Wellington International, the 111-acre venue once called the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, which fields eighteen competition arenas and roughly four hundred permanent stalls.
The stakes match the scale: the festival awarded more than thirteen million dollars in prize money in 2022. For a visitor, though, the useful takeaway is simpler — there is competition across more than seventy divisions on the schedule almost every day for a full quarter of the year, and most of it is open to watch.
When to go: weekdays, weekends and Saturday Night Lights
Because the season runs from January into early April, timing a visit is mostly about the kind of day you want. Weekdays are calmer and easy to wander: the grounds are open to the public from Wednesday through Sunday, and daytime general admission is free, so a mid-week afternoon is the low-key way to watch good sport up close.
The event everyone circles on the calendar is Saturday Night Lights, the weekly grand-prix showcase held under the floodlights. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the featured class begins at 7 p.m., and the evening is built to be a night out as much as a competition — live music, food vendors, pony rides, a petting zoo and other entertainment fill the grounds around the main ring. If you have a single evening to spend, make it a Saturday; if you would rather study the sport without a crowd, come on a weekday.
Where it is, and how to get there
Wellington International sits at 3400 Equestrian Club Drive, in an inland village in western Palm Beach County rather than a beach town — so every approach is a drive in from the coast or down from the north. The closest commercial airport is President Donald J. Trump International (DJT), formerly Palm Beach International, a short hop to the east; the fact box above shows the exact distance and drive time. The route in runs west off the interstate along the main boulevards into the village and out to the showgrounds.
Once you arrive, parking is the thing to plan. On a Saturday night the showgrounds offer general parking and an evening valet, and there is complimentary parking at the nearby Equestrian Village with a free shuttle to the ring — worth knowing on the busiest evenings, when the lots closest to the action fill first.
What it costs to look around
One of the pleasant surprises for a first-timer is how much of the festival you can enjoy for nothing. Daytime general admission is free from Wednesday through Sunday, and even Saturday Night Lights is free to get into — for most spectators the only fixed cost is parking. Beyond that, the venue is a working sport-and-shopping ground, with vendors and dining on site and premium hospitality sold separately for those who want a reserved table at the grand prix.
Because posted prices and hospitality packages change from one season to the next, confirm the current details on the venue’s own website before you go. The free-to-watch basics, though, have held steady, which makes the festival an unusually affordable day out for the calibre of sport on show.
Spectator or exhibitor: two very different visits
It helps to know which kind of visit you are planning, because the two look nothing alike. A spectator comes for a day or an evening — watch a few classes, walk the vendor village, find something to eat, and settle in for the grand prix. That is a self-contained outing you can plan around the schedule and the Saturday nights.
An exhibitor’s festival is the other side of the sport entirely. Owners, trainers, grooms and riders take up residence for weeks at a time, cycling between rented barns, the warm-up rings and the main arenas on a daily rhythm that lasts most of the season, and many rent homes or stabling in Wellington for the whole run rather than commute. If you are competing, or supporting someone who is, you are organising transport and logistics for a season, not a single day — which is where a standing car arrangement, rather than a one-off ride, starts to matter.
A first-timer’s game plan
A few small decisions make the day. For a relaxed introduction, arrive at a weekday competition in the early afternoon, when you can get close to the rings without a crowd. For the full spectacle, plan a Saturday and aim to be on the grounds when the gates open at six, so you have time to eat and find a good spot before the class at seven.
Dress for a day outdoors on grass: comfortable shoes, sun cover early, and a light layer for once the sun drops. Families do well here, thanks to the pony rides and other activities on Saturday nights. And think through the ride before you go, because the one genuine friction point is leaving — when a grand prix finishes, everyone heads for the exit at once. Arranging to be dropped at the gate and collected afterward turns that from the worst part of the night into a non-event.
Getting there without the parking headache
This is where a local chauffeur service earns its place in the plan. Aura Palm Limo handles transport for the festival with a fleet that scales from a sedan for a couple up to a coach for a hospitality group, and its chauffeurs know the show-season roads and the Saturday-night exit. If you are flying in, the same service covers the airport run from DJT; if you are staying on the coast, it carries you inland to the showgrounds and back.
For the details — how the transport is booked, which vehicle suits your group, and the Wellington logistics — the pages below go deeper than a visitor guide should. Start with the ones that match your trip.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is the Winter Equestrian Festival open to the public?
Yes. The grounds at Wellington International are open to the public Wednesday through Sunday during the season, and daytime general admission is free.
How much does it cost to attend the Winter Equestrian Festival?
Daytime general admission and Saturday Night Lights are both free to enter; parking is the one cost most visitors plan around, and the venue posts its current rates.
What is Saturday Night Lights?
It is the festival’s weekly Saturday grand-prix showcase, with gates at 6 p.m. and the class at 7 p.m., plus live music, food and family activities around the main ring.
When is the best time to visit for a first-timer?
A weekday afternoon gives relaxed, uncrowded viewing, while a Saturday evening delivers the full grand-prix atmosphere — pick the one that matches the day you want.
Where is the Winter Equestrian Festival held?
At Wellington International, 3400 Equestrian Club Drive in Wellington, an inland village in western Palm Beach County, Florida.
How long does the Winter Equestrian Festival run?
It runs for thirteen weeks each year, beginning in January and finishing in early April.
Is there parking at Wellington International?
Yes. The showgrounds have general parking and a Saturday-night valet, and there is complimentary parking with a free shuttle from the nearby Equestrian Village.
Is the festival family-friendly?
Yes. Saturday Night Lights adds pony rides, a petting zoo, live music and other activities aimed squarely at families.
Which airport should I fly into for the Winter Equestrian Festival?
President Donald J. Trump International (DJT), formerly Palm Beach International, is the closest commercial airport, a short drive east of Wellington.
How can I get to the showgrounds without driving myself?
A chauffeured car service such as Aura Palm can drop you at the gate and collect you afterward, which avoids the post-grand-prix parking exit entirely.
Plan your transport
Let Aura Palm handle the drive
Skip the post-grand-prix parking exit. These pages cover the transport for your visit.
Related
Keep planning
Ready when you are
Tell us the trip. We will price it properly.
Every quote is written for your exact route by a person — never an automated fare. Dispatch is staffed 24 hours a day.
- Airport transfers
- 24–48 hours ahead
- Weddings
- 2–3 weeks ahead
- Proms, holidays and peak weekends
- 4–6 weeks ahead