Royal Adelaide Show
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The Royal Adelaide Show is an annual
carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...
and
agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, bree ...
run by the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia. It is held at the
Adelaide Showground The Adelaide Showground holds many of Adelaide's most popular events, including the Royal Adelaide Show. The Showground (also popularly known as the Wayville Showgrounds) is located in the inner-southern Adelaide suburb of Wayville, just ...
, a dedicated venue located in Wayville, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. Core to the show are the competitive entries, such as livestock, pets, arts, food, beverages, and displays of skill. The show features entries in 63 competitive sections, and attracts over 31,000 entries annually. In addition, the show features entertainment, exhibitors, sideshows, rides, and showbags. It is attended by up to half a million people every year, making it the state's biggest event. It is also regarded as "the longest running event on the South Australian calendar".


History


Colonial era

The South Australian Agricultural Society was founded on 28 October 1839 ''"for the advancement of agricultural and pastoral knowledge, and to promote the development of the natural resources of our noble colony".'' On 8 December 1840, the first Show was held in the yards of Fordham's Hotel, Grenfell Street, and was an exhibition of produce which included vegetables, cereals, cheese, wool, and leather. The first show of livestock, the Agricultural Exhibition, was held on 20 October 1843 at Auction Mart Tavern, Hindley Street. From 1844 to 1859, the Agricultural and Horticultural Shows, displaying both produce and livestock, were held at Botanic Park, and for many decades, shows were held twice a year in Spring and Autumn. The show was briefly suspended in 1852 during the Victorian Gold Rush. In 1856, the society held its first art exhibition: there were 178 entries, with 30 being from the well-known artist
S. T. Gill Samuel Thomas Gill (21 May 1818 – 27 October 1880), also known by his signature S.T.G., was an English-born Australian artist. Early life Gill was born in Periton, Minehead, Somerset, England, in 1818. He was the son of the Reverend Samuel G ...
. According to the ''
South Australian Register ''The Register'', originally the ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'', and later ''South Australian Register,'' was South Australia's first newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836, moved to Adelaide in 1837, and ...
'' (28 November 1867) "A special Grand General Show was held from Thursday 7 November 1867 to coincide with the Adelaide visit of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh". After the duke's visit, the society and show went on to receive his royal patronage in 1868. In 1887, the society ran their Spring Show concurrently with the
Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition The Adelaide International Jubilee Exhibition of 1887 was a celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne on 20 June 1837, held in Adelaide, South Australia in 1887. It was also ...
, from 14 to 17 September, but at the "Old Exhibition Grounds" on the other side of Frome Road. The show had been extended from two to four days on account of the great interest shown, particularly in the display of sheep, which was of a very high standard. From May 1895, the Autumn Show was held at a new venue, the
Jubilee Exhibition Building The Jubilee Exhibition Building in Adelaide, South Australia, was built to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne on 20 June 1837. The jubilees of her Coronation on 28 June 183 ...
on North Terrace, and the horse events were held at the nearby Jubilee Oval. In 1896, the first Live Stock Show was held at the new site.


20th century

There were no shows held in 1915–1919 due to the effects of World War I and the Spanish flu epidemic. In 1925, the show became an annual event, and moved to Wayville. A report regarding the new site stated:
The competition for best design for the new showgrounds drew fifty responses and twenty six firm designs. Mr C R Heath's design was awarded first prize of £500. Designs came from
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,
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and all Australian States. The Building Committee, consisting of the President and Vice-Presidents and the Secretary, was appointed to supervise the work and confer with the architects and to report to the Executive. A railway siding was negotiated with the Railway Department, drainage and sewerage problems addressed, negotiations initiated with the Tramways Trust for an 'electric car' service, grading and levelling planned, and tenders called for erection of facilities. A fine draught horse pavilion has been erected and the building of a sheep pavilion commenced.
The site's main pavilion, Centennial Hall, was opened on 20 March 1936. Between 1940 and 1946, shows were cancelled, with the exception of a Wine Show in 1946, due to World War II and the military occupation of the grounds. In February 1966, a soccer match between traditional rivals Hellas and
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on the opening night of the show created much interest. Another area of interest was the Decimal Currency Board's display, with the 'Dollar Girls' on hand to explain the new monetary system to be introduced. In the 1960s to 1980s, new competitive sections for the blind and
disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physica ...
were introduced, plus an additional four classes in the
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and
crochet Crochet (; ) is a process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread (yarn), thread, or strands of other materials. The name is derived from the French term ''crochet'', which means 'hook'. Hooks can be made ...
section for the over 70s. Main Arena attractions included the Pacific Islands Regiment Band, which consisted of 75 Papuans and New Guineans from all parts of the territory. They joined with the Royal Australian Navy Band, the Band of the Southern Command, the Band of the Central Command, and the SA Police Band, for a massed band display. In 1990, $1.3 million was spent on capital improvements. Prior to 1987, with a three-term school year, the show was always held in a school holiday period. With the changeover to a four-term year, arrangements were made between the show organisers and the
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whereby Adelaide schools arrange a study-free day, enabling their pupils to attend the event.


Present

In 2004, 'The Wine Tunnel' with wine tastings was introduced to showcase South Australia's wines. Located in the Taste SA area, it also has cooking demonstrations and food samplings. In 2007, Centennial Hall was demolished due to the structural weakening of its concrete. The
Adelaide Showground railway station Adelaide Showground railway station is located on the Belair, Flinders and Seaford lines, and is located in the inner western Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South ...
opened permanently on 17 February 2014. Unlike the temporary Showground Central railway station (2003–2013), which was only operated during the show, the new station is serviced every day as a regular part of the Seaford, Flinders, and Belair lines. In 2017, the Main Carnival underwent a major face-lift with new paving, walkways, grass areas, toilets, bins and trees being added to replace the gravel and portable toilets. On 14 April 2020, the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia announced the show would be cancelled due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. The following year the 2021 show was scheduled to go ahead but was cancelled about three weeks before the show; this is due to risks associated with the Delta variant. After a two-year hiatus, the show returned in 2022.


Competitions

The society runs a number of competitive sections at the show in six categories: * Livestock: alpacas, beef cattle, dairy cattle, goats, horses, pigs, poultry/pigeons & eggs, sheep & wool. * Pets: aquarium fish, caged birds, cats, cavies, dogs, dog grooming,
flyball Flyball is a List of dog sports, dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from the start to the finish line, over a line of hurdles, to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring-loaded pad, t ...
, rabbits, reptiles. * Food & beverage: beer & cider, chocolate, commercial fruit, dairy products, grains & fodder, honey, olive oil, professional baking, spirits, wine. * Junior competitions: cookery,
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, horticulture, junior art/craft/design, junior textiles,
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, technology, young judges. * Individual talents: art prize, cookery,
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s & blacksmiths, handicrafts,
horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...
, orchids, photography, sheaf tossing, woodchopping. * Entertainment: drones, mascots, sheep dog trials,
ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute people, a Native American people of the Great Basin * Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah * Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah * Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern ...
show. In 2014, 16,993 ribbons were awarded to individual prize winners.


Carnival


Entertainment

The Main Arena is the largest area of
Adelaide Showground The Adelaide Showground holds many of Adelaide's most popular events, including the Royal Adelaide Show. The Showground (also popularly known as the Wayville Showgrounds) is located in the inner-southern Adelaide suburb of Wayville, just ...
, and is the primary location for the 'Horses in Action' program (including the World Cup Qualifiers). In the evening, it features family entertainment, including V8 utes,
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, and monster trucks. Every night of the show at 9:00 pm (weather permitting), there is a 10-minute firework show. Another major attraction to the Royal Adelaide Show is the array of free entertainment included upon entry. There are three main stages: * The Kid's Corner is located in the Kid's Carnival area (Goyder Plaza) and hosts musical and comedic entertainment for a younger audience such as
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,
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, and
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. * Goyder Stage is host to the show's major productions (e.g. Tinker Tailor Fashion Maker in 2014; The Magical Gift of Mother Earth in 2015). * The Golden North Ice Cream Stage (since 2017) is located centrally at the end of Hamilton Boulevard and hosts performances including dance, music, and talent. The old Coca-Cola Stage was retired in 2016. The stage was renamed the BankSA stage for the 2022 show.


Rides

The rides are a major drawcard at the show. Each year the event boasts over 50 rides between the Carnival and Kid's Carnival areas. The best-known ride is the permanent Skymaster Wheel standing over 40 metres high. Each year, rides can vary with some favourites going and newer rides appearing. Some larger rides in the main carnival range in price from $8 to $20 (e.g. Speed 2 and The Beast). However most rides average at $10 with discounts available on select rides. In 2000, the Spin Dragon collapsed, injuring around 40 people, while in 2006, part of the Twin Flip ride collapsed, injuring four. On the last day of the 2007 Show, the Mad Mouse roller coaster was retired from service. The track was dismantled, the cars auctioned off (one donated to the Royal Show's archives). It was replaced with two portable coasters, a Zyklon model ZL42 roller coaster imported from Italy named The Big Dipper, and a Spinning wild mouse named Crazy Coaster. Both were very popular at the 2008 show. On 12 September 2014, an eight-year-old girl visiting Australia from Malaysia died after slipping from her seat on the Airmaxx 360. Operators of the machine, C J And Sons Amusement, were later fined $157,000 due to inadequate maintenance. In 2019, The Beast, XXXL, Speed 2 and Extreme were banned from the Royal Adelaide Show for having a faulty backup restraint mechanism. The Happy Kangaroo ride was also banned for unknown reasons, despite appearing in the catalogue.


Showbags

One of the most notable and well known aspects of the show are the
showbag A showbag is a themed bag of commercial products, novelty items and promotional merchandise, usually made available for purchase. It is a distinctive feature of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a countr ...
s. They are sold in the Showbag Pavilion next to the Main Arena, and are mainly promotion for the companies that produce them. From the 1900s, showbags started as free sample bags that were given to visitors of displays. By the 1950s, as the original showbags grew in popularity, they eventually ceased to be free and a small fee of 3 or 6 pence was taken. Nowadays, over 350 different bags are available, and a single showbag can range from $3 to $135 depending on its contents. Showbags are mostly popular with young children and teenagers, although there are some showbags, such as ''
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'' and Darrell Lea, aimed at a more adult market.


See also

*
Agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including direct-to-consumer sales such as farm stands and u-pick, agricultu ...
* RAHS timeline historical list of show dates


References


External links


Royal Adelaide Show
- Website
Adelaide Showground
 - Issuu (77 different publications related to the show)
History of the Royal Adelaide Show
- YouTube
Royal Adelaide Show
- 1968-themed interactive learning site at
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{{Adelaide Festivals Festivals in Adelaide
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
1840 establishments in Australia Recurring events established in 1840 Spring (season) in Australia