R-06 · Track

Harness Racing at Kawartha Downs

The slots at Kawartha Downs are one part of a harness racetrack property with its own season, rooms and owner. This page reads the rest of the property: the track, the Player's Lounge, the Grandstand Dining Room and the event space.

Read by the Field Readings deskChecked October 7, 2026

R-06Key readings

Racing: summer season
Race admission: free
Player's Lounge: 19+, ID required
Grandstand Dining Room: second floor

Harness racing at the track

Racing at the track goes back to the annual fall fair. When night racing arrived in the early 1960s, Peterborough became the first "B track" to race under arc lights. In 2022, Kawartha Downs marked its 50th anniversary. Families have come for Saturday night harness racing for five decades.

Live harness racing runs in a summer season, with the schedule posted on the harness racing page of kawarthadowns.com. Admission to the races is free. The racetrack, the Player's Lounge and the property belong to Kawartha Downs, an owner separate from Great Canadian, which runs the slots.

Anyone who cannot reach the track can follow it online. Races are live-streamed and replayed on the track's YouTube channel, and this guide carries no race dates of its own.

Kawartha Downs sign and track floodlights at dusk

Row of green-lit slot machines at Kawartha Downs

The Player's Lounge and Café

The Player's Lounge and Café sits on the slots floor. It serves light refreshments, an a la carte menu of modern casual food and drinks from a fully licensed bar. Entry is 19 plus, and ID is required. Anyone who looks younger than 30 is asked for ID by Great Canadian. Only original government-issued photo ID is accepted, and Great Canadian may also request a second piece.

Hours run Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The lounge phone is 705-940-0237. Kawartha Downs calls it fully accessible.

Grandstand Dining Room

The Grandstand Dining Room is on the second floor of the grandstand at Kawartha Downs, and it is wheelchair accessible. Its buffet is served only during the harness racing season. That differs from the slots floor, which opens daily, year round, from 10:00 a.m. to midnight. The dress code is semi casual. Prices are not covered here, and the season schedule sits on the harness racing page of kawarthadowns.com.

Event Centre and The Loft

Kawartha Downs also rents event space. The Event Centre takes festivals, weddings, parties and corporate events, and The Loft is a renovated private room. No outside food or drink may be brought to its events. Questions about the space go to Kawartha Downs general enquiries at 705-939-6316. What is on at the property appears in the events calendar on kawarthadowns.com, and this guide does not list individual events.

Questions

Short readings

Does it cost anything to watch the races?: Admission to the live harness races at Kawartha Downs is free. Races are also live-streamed and replayed on the track's YouTube channel.
Is the Grandstand Dining Room open in winter?: Its buffet is served only during the harness racing season. That season runs in summer, with the schedule on kawarthadowns.com.
Can someone under 19 eat in the Player's Lounge?: The Player's Lounge sits on the slots floor and is 19 plus, with ID required. In Ontario, the law keeps anyone younger than 19 from entering a casino or staying in one. Great Canadian asks for ID when a person looks younger than 30.
Where are race dates posted?: The schedule for the summer season is posted on the harness racing page of kawarthadowns.com. This guide does not carry race dates.