The country comes to town when the biggest celebration of Australian culture, the Sydney Royal Easter Show, opens at Sydney Olympic Park next week.
This year the show runs from March 22 to April 2. First held in 1823, the Sydney Royal Easter Show has since grown into a 21-day celebration with non-stop entertainment, animal experiences and cooking competitions, art and flower shows, plus carnival rides and games, show bags and funky food offerings for the kids.
With daily visitor numbers at “the Show” capped at 80,000, you best book here if you want to experience a taste of the Aussie bush, just a short train ride away from the CBD. And your ticket to the Easter Show includes free public transport.
Some of the highlights include…
Agriculture & animal experiences
Admire talented dogs (and their handlers) as they show off their impressive skills at the Agility Dog Club Demonstration. Introduce your little one to the joy of horse riding at The Paddock’s Outback Pony Rides.
Dog show at Sydney Royal Easter Show
Visit the little ducklings, geese, goats, donkeys and lambs at the Farmyard Nursery, a perennial favourite with more than 750 free-range animals you can pat and hand feed. Make tracks for the Poultry & Pigeon Pavilion to see baby chicks take their first tentative peep at the world around them at the Chicken Hatching sessions.
Sheep Shearing Demonstrations
For more slice-of-rural-life experiences, watch super-speedy champion shearers race one another at the Sheep Shearing Demonstrations, watch the experts bath a pig, walk with an alpaca (and get a great selfie) or attend one of the many goat shows.There are many more animal displays to be experienced over the show including poultry and birds, cats, cows, frogs and reptiles.
Australian produce & easy eats
There is an array of fresh produce and a variety of Instagram-worthy snacks on offer including Big Bush BBQ, Chip on a Stick, Melon Fiesta, Emmy’s Gourmet Gozleme and more. Whether it is wine, chocolate-coated strawberries, gluten-free treats or Italian sauces and fresh pasta you’re after you’ll find something for everyone.
Gardening & flowers
The Flower and Garden Pavilion features an exciting line up of experts, full of advice on how to get your garden growing like a dream. There are also plenty of workshops including bonsai growing, beekeeping and cacti care. Linger longer to watch the Ready, Steady, Flowers! floral art competition, where audience members compete against each other on stage.
More competitions
There are plenty of competitions to watch throughout the show, such as the Woodchopping and Sawing Competition, a jaw-dropping spectacle that has been a part of the show for more than 125 years; the Entertainment Showjumping, which includes handpicked equestrians and Olympians; the Sydney Royal Arts & Crafts Show, the biggest arts and crafts competition in Australia; and Pumpkin Bowling, a game of lawn bowls like no other.
Rides galore
Get a thrill on the rides at the Carnival, including all the classics like the ferris wheel and rollercoasters along with some exciting new ones. Children can enjoy the rainbow super slide, dodgem cars and the carousel at the Kids’ Carnival.
Night-time entertainment
Every evening you can settle into the Main Arena to watch the exciting entertainment show, which includes starts with a V8 Ute Challenge and ends with the skies lighting up in an impressive fireworks display. Howard & Sons Pyrotechnics have created a 15-minute music soundtrack mix of jukebox hits from the 1960s to today as the pyrotechnics closely follow the music.
BRAND NEW: The Bison Challenge – The Battle of the Saddle
If you like cowboys, cowgirls, two-stepping, galloping horses, bison, long-horn bulls and all things Yellowstone, then you are going to love Sydney’s very own stampede show. Sit tight for an all action show that is the perfect experience for anyone who has ever wanted to put on a cowboy hat.
