The Sydney Royal Easter Show, commonly shortened to The Easter Show or The Show, is an annual show held in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia over two weeks around the

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

period. First held in 1823, it comprises an

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 ...

, an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

and a

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

and combines the elements of each, showcasing the judging of

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

and

produce In American English, produce generally refers to wikt:fresh, fresh List of culinary fruits, fruits and Vegetable, vegetables intended to be Eating, eaten by humans, although other food products such as Dairy product, dairy products or Nut (foo ...

. The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales is responsible for the event.

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

awarded the society and its show the right to use the word "Royal" in its name. The main purpose of the show is specifically to encourage agriculture; although other aspects of the show have developed including competitions, entertainment and commerce, the display of the products of rural industry remain of major importance, the RAS claiming 30,000 rural exhibits in 2007. The Show is a celebration of Australian culture, from rural traditions to modern day lifestyles, providing unique experiences for attendees. Every Easter, the country and city join together at Sydney Showground,

Sydney Olympic Park Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, located 13 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of the City of Parramatta, City of Parramatta Council. It i ...

, for twelve days of agricultural competitions, animal experiences, live entertainment, carnival fun, shopping and more. Attendance levels have continued to grow consistently year on year. Statistically, the busiest day of the show is the last Saturday, often having 39% higher attendance than any other day. The Show has many competitions, including

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 ...

, photography and cookery, as well as tests of strength and skill such as wood chopping. The show also has shopping, restaurants, commercial stands, such as a showbag pavilion and exhibits, a horticultural display, and stage and

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

shows. It also even hosts a breed based conformation dog show and

cat show A cat show is a judged event where the owners of cats compete to win titles in various cat registering organizations by entering their cats to be judged after a breed standard. Both pedigree (cat), pedigreed and companion (or moggy) cats are admi ...

, which are nationally accredited.

History

The Sydney Royal Easter Show is the largest ticketed event held in Australia and one of the largest in the world. The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales (formed a year before the event) held its first Show in 1823. Its initial purpose was of encouraging the colony's rural industries. The site was at Parramatta Park, west of the town of

. It initially showcased horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry. In 1869, the event moved from

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

to Prince Alfred Park. In 1881, the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

provided land for the Royal Agricultural Society at Moore Park; the show was held at that venue for the next 116 years. In 1998, the event moved to a new showground within the

precinct at Homebush Bay. The former Sydney Showground at Moore Park has since become Fox Studios Australia, with associated development known as The Entertainment Quarter. The show since continued uninterruptedly after 1869, except in 1919 (during the Spanish flu outbreak), the years of 1942 to 1946 (during

World War II 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 ...

) and 2020 (during the

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 ...

).Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales-History Timeline
", rasnsw.com, Retrieved 29 March 2010 As per the event's namesake, it starts on the Friday before Easter and ends on the Tuesday following Easter (with closures on Sundays and

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

). During that Thursday, it becomes a Children's Day, when goods such as discounted showbags are on sale. Yielding to pressure from the public, the show was later to be opened on Sundays and

. With the move to Homebush Bay, the show was extended to 16 days. In 2000 it was reduced to 14 days. In 2007, a revised program took into account changes to NSW School Holidays, the show commencing on the Thursday before Good Friday in order to increase the holiday time for families to attend. In 2017 over 922,000 people attended the show, when about 850,000 were expected. The previous record was 964,000 in 2004. In 2018, the show returned to its traditional 12 days. If Easter falls in March the show is held outside of school holidays. The 2021 show ran from 1 to 12 April, under some restrictions due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case in Aust ...

. Attendee numbers were reduced to 60,000 a day to allow maintenance of distancing as well as separate pavilion entries and exits monitored by COVID marshals, maintenance of distancing in queues, and caps on the number of people in arena, pavilions and stands. Venue cleaning was also increased. Attendance was about 800,000. (Inclusive of ticket holders, agricultural and commercial exhibitors, staff, volunteers and other show workers). No cases of COVID-19 were associated with the show. The 2022 show was held from 8 to 19 April. It was officially opened by the

Princess Royal Princess Royal is a substantive title, title customarily (but not automatically) awarded by British monarchs to their eldest daughters. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal famil ...

Show cancellations

The Royal Easter Show has been cancelled three times — during the Spanish flu pandemic, the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

and the

— during its over 200-year history.

Incidents

On 10 April 2022, the organisers of the show closed one of the rides after the operator failed to secure the four-year-old boy who was on one of the rides on Sunday. It was found via social media that the children on the ride were restrained except for the boy. The next night on 11 April 2022, a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death at 8:00pm in the adult carnival area of the show whilst working at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. That night, a 16-year-old was also stabbed and suffered a leg injury. It was subsequently revealed that police had arrested the people who were involved in this incident.

Pricing

In 2016 a "twilight ticket' was introduced, giving showgoers a budget friendly opportunity to come to the show for a discounted price after 4pm. Tickets for the show could be purchased online via Ticketmaster and from Woolworths Supermarkets where the pass included travel. Tickets were previously available at railway stations and on some buses; however since 2015 this option has been discontinued. Tickets are only available for purchase online for specific days. Annual memberships can be purchased for $172 for city residents, $124 for country residents, $98 for people aged 18-25.

Transport

With only limited parking available, most people arrive by public transport. The closest train station is Olympic Park railway station. The event is classified as a major event by the

State Government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

with Sydney Trains operating regular services from Central and Lidcombe. NSW TrainLink Blue Mountains Line and '' Bathurst Bullet'' services make an additional stop at Lidcombe for the duration of the show. On weekends regular services operate to and from Penrith and Schofields along with a few Central Coast & Newcastle Line services from Newcastle Interchange and Wyong. The Olympic Park bus network also operates from various locations across Sydney.

References

External links

*
RANSW – Our Heritage
* CC-By-SA">Creative_Commons_license.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Creative Commons license">CC-By-SA/nowiki> {{Agricultural shows in Australia Annual fairs Easter traditions Festivals established in 1823 Festivals in Sydney Recurring events established in 1823 Royal shows in Australia 1823 establishments in Australia