The Sydney Royal Easter Show is a celebration of Australian culture and boasts the record for the biggest ticketed event in Australia and one of the largest events in the world. Yet its origins were much more humble.
In the beginning
On 5th July 1822 the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) was formed with the desire to improve farming practices and ensure the sustainability of our rural land. On their agenda was an Annual Livestock Show in order to encourage friendly competition and the sharing of knowledge. So the following year in 1823 the first livestock show began in Parramatta.
Over the years it has seen a couple of different homes. My Retirement Village residents have fond memories of visiting it at the Showground in Moore Park. When I told them I was visiting for the first time this year they regaled stories of how it used to be much less commercial. Despite this, a number of them still ventured in, braving the crowds as they do every year to Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush Bay, where it has been located since 1998. To read more about the history of the show take a look at the archives from the State Library of NSW.
Our first visit
For the last 11 years, I have been able to avoid the pandemonium of the Royal Easter Show. This year, however, I caved to the kids’ persistent requests and statements about all of their friends going every year. They assured me that it would be ‘so cool’ and that we would have the ‘best time ever’. It appears that if you do not escape Sydney along with the throngs of holidaymakers, it is a prerequisite to visit the Easter Show.
In its 200 year history, the Easter Show has only been cancelled 3 times: during the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression, and in 2020 due to Covid-19 (but you could still buy the infamous showbags online). However, the show went ahead in 2021, even in the midst of the pandemic, with a total of 700,000, extremely committed people attending (at a reduced capacity of 60,000 per day and with restrictions in place), making it potentially the largest ticketed event globally that year.
We bought our tickets online weeks before the event, which is probably the only well organised or researched thing that we did. Royal Easter Show Tickets go on sale in advance and can be bought for an early bird price. We paid $99.50 for a family ticket (2 adults + 2 children). This is quite a saving as we would have paid $160 at the gate on a normal day or $120 on kids day. An adult pass costs $41 or a concession is $31. Make sure to investigate when Seniors Day is happening in 2023 as this will provide you with a 50% saving.
Mistake 1
As a newbie to the concept of attending the Easter Show, we booked for Good Friday. This was our first mistake. A sell-out day with 80,000 people in attendance. In hindsight, this is pretty obviously going to be the case. The combination of the school holidays and the Easter long weekend it was bound to be busy; I just didn’t realise how unbelievably hectic it would be. Though, having done a little research subsequently; prior to daily capping numbers have been known to reach 130,000 … so in actual fact, it was a pretty quiet day at the show. Just the thought of that many people in one place makes me shudder.
Mistake 2
I naively thought I would be able to wake early, drive and park. This was our second mistake … apparently, you have to book the carparks in advance and they were all full by the time we realised. Therefore we had to resort to taking the train. As we walked the kilometer towards the local train station it became apparent that I was not going to enjoy my big day out. Everyone walking up the hill had multiple children in tow and rucksacks on their backs, all heading in exactly the same direction as us. I thought by setting off early for an 8:30 train we might beat the crowds, which we certainly did in some sense but half of Sydney had the same idea. Though if I had arrived at 2 pm (when we were leaving) I may have just got back on the next train having seen the queues at the gate.
NSW transport has a stand as you enter the show where you can pick up a wristband for your children and add your phone number in case of an emergency. Both my children know my mobile number in case separated, though I did not trust that they would remember it if they found themselves lost and scared in crowds of 80,000 people. Luckily we did not lose anyone, but it is good to be prepared. This would be a good tip for if you plan to take the children or grandchildren next year.
Mistake 3
Upon entering the show the main path towards the fairground is flanked on both sides by stalls. My daughter, Imogen peaked early, being excited and eager to buy showbags at the first stall she saw. We had agreed to 2 each and she purchased one within 5 minutes of being through the gates. Not only was she disappointed with her choices once we found the Showbag Pavillion, but we also had to carry a showbag around with us for the entire duration.
Before attending the show I had briefly investigated the cost of showbags and told the kids that they could choose 2 each (at approximately $30 each it can get very expensive very quickly). The Showbag Pavillion is probably my least favourite bit of the Show. The bags are filled with cheap plastic toys and ‘rubbish’ and in future I would rather spend the money on something worthwhile … but the kids loved all of their random items that are now mostly broken and in the bin.
Carnival Time
Our plan of attack, after very limited research (as you can probably tell from the amateur mistakes) was to hit the Kids Carnival first to avoid the crowds. We preemptively loaded our card with $100 credit, using 2 of our NSW parent’s vouchers (if you have not yet applied for these vouchers you can do so using the link). The rides were enjoyable enough and the kids had great fun, but the queues were slow, taking around 30 minutes per ride, and most cost $6-$7 per person which inevitably leaves you with some unused credit. At one point I honestly thought I may need to send a search party in to the funhouse to retrieve my children who had essentially found themselves in a 30 minute queue to come down the slide and out of the exit.
Once we had exhausted the funds on the Carnival Card we had a bite to eat at one of the many food stalls. So many to choose from and yet my kids both wanted a Dagwood Dog, which is essentially a hot dog on a stick coated in batter and deep-fried. As a Pom in Australia I had never heard of this festival staple, but as far as I can make out it is the same as a corn dog which originates in America. Both children loved their greasy treat and Imogen thought it was one of the best sausages ever, though she also thought that about the snowcone (the bees also liked the snowcones to the kids dismay).
The actual agricultural aspect of the show I thought was very good. I enjoyed looking at all of the farm animals, and could easily have spent more time exploring (I did get to see the chickens … as you may have noticed from my photos. I love chickens and dream of keeping some in the garden one day). I also thought the Arts and Crafts Pavillion and Flower and Garden Pavillion were impressive. Though I did not get to peruse and it was like we were taking part in a race, skipping anything I may have found to be of interest because the kids found it boring.
Final Realisations
After many hours of queuing and shuffling around in the crowds, I told the kids that it would be the one and only time we would be visiting the Easter Show. However, I know that will probably not be the case and like everyone else in Sydney, it will probably become a family tradition each year.
After a couple of incredibly tough years, marred with droughts, bush fires, floods, and covid-19, the Easter Show remains a great way to support regional producers and admire the incredible resilience of Australia’s rural communities.
I am all too aware of my amateur mistakes, so I will head in next time with a game plan and strict rules in place so that the kids do not get carried away and so that I get to appreciate all that the show has to offer. See you at the Sydney Royal Easter Show 2023.
Head to my other blog entries for some great ideas for days out and about around Sydney, with or without children in tow.
Thanks!
Good post!