This year marked another fantastic and happy event for the Royal Adelaide Show.
We were delighted to welcome South Australian's through the gates for 9 days, celebrating our primary industries through competitions, demonstrations and exhibitions with the added fun of showbags, rides and entertainment for all ages.
2023 saw the return of many of South Australian favourites such as, The Learning Centre, Farmyard Nursery and Yellow Brick Road as well as launching new activations which proved to be a great success.
RA&HS chief executive Will Rayner said a highlight was the brand-new Aggie’s Farm – a free activity, taking children on a journey through a miniature farm and teaching them about agriculture and fresh produce.
“About 120,000 people enjoyed the ‘activation’ across the nine days, with young families in strong attendance.”
Guests prolonged their time at the farm, care of a dedicated craft zone, coffee cart, seating, and a meet-and-greet area.
Special guests, like Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis, regularly dropped in. There were also daily visits by handlers with puppies and pythons (not at the same time!), bee talks, and more.
Meanwhile, in live entertainment, the Bluey children’s show was extended due to high demand.
“After day two of Bluey’s Live Interactive Experience and pram gridlock throughout Goyder Pavilion, we knew that Bluey was more popular than we could have ever expected,” Will said.
“We worked quickly behind the scenes to secure the act for an extra two performances on the Friday. Truly, it was a fantastic way to show our commitment to family value for money at the Show.”
Meanwhile, the competition component of the Show was highly successful again, with numbers across the board on par with last year.
During the Show, Will said it was also great to see increased participation in the junior competitive sections.
“Entries were boosted for beef ‘young judges’, the dairy cattle junior show, the alpaca junior handlers, and in junior technology, art and craft, and cookery.
“We were also thrilled to have the South Australian governor, Her Excellency Frances Adamson, and her husband, Rod Bunten, so involved with the Show again this year.
“This included Mr Bunten’s sponsorship of the clotted cream classes, and their combined efforts in judging the Professional Baking and Scarecrow competitions.
“The winning scarecrow, picked by Her Excellency herself, will now guard the lawns at Government House for the next 12 months.”
Thank you to all the volunteers, staff, and stewards for their hard work and dedication, ensuring another resounding success for the Show.