The Royal Welsh Show () is an agricultural show, organised by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (originally, the Welsh National Agricultural Society, formed 26 February 1904 by influential landowners, at Committee Room 12 at the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

), and first held in 1904. It takes place in July of each year, at Llanelwedd, near

Builth Wells Builth Wells (; ) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of the Wye Valley. In 20 ...

, in

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

Mid Wales Mid Wales ( or simply ''Y Canolbarth'', meaning "the midlands"), or Central Wales, is a region of Wales, encompassing its midlands, in-between North Wales and South Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the Senedd covered the unitary autho ...

. The first show was held in

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

in 1904, on the Vicarage Field, Godfrey Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar was elected president of Welsh National Agricultural Society in 1913. On 22 November 1922,

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

became Patron and the

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

, Prince of Wales became Honorary President, and the name was changed to the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society. It was held in a different town, every year in July, alternating between the north and the south, with a permanent showground at Llanelwedd near

, first used on 23 July 1963. No show was held in 1915–18 ( WWI), 1940–45 (

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

) nor 2020–21 (

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

). The latter years saw some events going virtual.

Format

The show lasts for four days and attracts more than 200,000 visitors annually, boosting

tourism in Wales Tourism in Wales makes up a significant portion of the Welsh economy and attracting millions of visitors each year. The tourism industry in Wales was worth around £5bn in 2017. The tourism industry also makes a significant contribution to the We ...

. Events include: *Judging of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

s and various other domestic animals *

Sheepdog trial A sheepdog trial – also herding event, stock dog trial or simply dog trial — is a competition or test of the working abilities of dogs of herding breeds. It is a type of dog sport that emerged in the 1860s in New Zealand. By the 1870s regul ...

s *

Sheep shearing Sheep shearing is the process by which the Wool, woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a ''Sheep shearer, shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (depending upon dialect, ...

competitions *

Horse riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

competitions * Four-in-hand and Carriage Driving displays *

Falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...

*Games and sports such as the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery of the

Royal Horse Artillery The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery (commonly termed Royal Artillery) to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. Although the cavalry link rem ...

Arts and crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

show *

Live music A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

Given its "Royal" status it is not unusual for a senior member of the

British Royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

to attend at the Show.

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

was a familiar sight as

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

. Following his support during the 2001 foot and mouth crisis, one farming union, the FUW, nominated him for his outstanding contribution to agriculture in 2003, which was announced at the show. File:The Royal Welsh Agricultural Show at Bangor 1958 (7636807478).jpg, The Royal Welsh Agricultural Show at Bangor, 1958. File:The Royal Welsh Show 1963, Llanelwedd (7636799010).jpg, The Royal Welsh Show 1963, Llanelwedd. File:The Royal Welsh Show 1963.jpg, The Royal Welsh Show 1963, Llanelwedd File:23 & 25 July 2012 - Royal Welsh Show-23 & 25 Gorffennaf 2012 - y Sioe Frenhinol (7999820222).jpg, The Presiding Officer of

Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolved ...

at the 2012 Royal Welsh Show

Business

Businesses with links to agriculture will have a trade stand at the show. It is an opportunity to attract new business from the farming community as well as to network with current customers.

Young Farmers

The Royal Welsh Show is also an event for young people who live in farming communities in Wales. The Wales Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs runs a series of competitions across Wales throughout the year, and the finals of the practical competitions usually take place at the Show. Amongst these events are stock judging and

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

driving.

Welsh Cob Senior Stallions class

The Welsh Cob Senior Stallion class is traditionally held on the Wednesday afternoon of the show ("Welsh Cob Wednesday"). The class is held using the entire main arena. The fifty-plus stallions are paraded at the trot in front of the grandstand before they settle down for the judging of the class.

Rail access

Linked via the Heart of Wales Line station of Builth Road, where connecting buses link with the

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...

service during show times.

References

External links

Official website
{{Agriculture in Wales Welsh Festivals in Wales Builth Wells Tourist attractions in Powys Stadiums in Wales 1904 establishments in Wales Festivals established in 1904 Summer in Wales