Take4 days ago
UK commits £65m to the Grand Départs, then charges for Edinburgh
Tickets for the Tour de France 2027 team presentation on the Edinburgh Castle esplanade start at £27. The Tour's team presentations are generally free, and the Edinburgh one is ticketed for the first time since 2014. The UK government is putting £65m into hosting the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes grands départs, and the public is still asked to pay at the door.
What this means
The ticketing timetable is already running: newsletter subscribers got early access on Friday 23 October 2026, and the general public can buy from Friday 30 October 2026. The presentation takes place on Wednesday 30 June 2027, two days before racing starts.
Seats run from £27 for the high stand to £99 for the premium seats. The past three team presentations, in Barcelona, Lille and Florence, were free to attend. The last paid one was Leeds in 2014, where entry to the First Direct Arena cost upwards of £45. Grand Départ GB's answer is that «This isn't a standard team presentation», because of the partnership with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Its line on the race is «The race itself stays free». Every kilometre of the three men's stages will be open access, and the riders' route from Holyrood Palace via the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle will be unticketed. Jeremy Whittle's report puts each of the six stages at about £11m, and calls them 'the most expensive bike races ever held'. The UK government projects economic benefits of more than £150m from the combined men's and women's races.
Sources
$85 Million Costs and $130 Tickets: The 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ is Blowing the BudgetFans forced to pay to attend Tour de France 2027 opening ceremony and teams presentation for the first time since 2014“The most expensive Grand Départ ever”: UK faces sharp debate over £65 million bill for 2027 Tour de France double-startOpinion: The Tour de France is Going Over the Top with So Many Foreign 'Grand Départs'
Analysed 4 sources, written and summarised with AI · How we work