THE Royal Highland Show is set to return this year, with the first full show since 2019 taking place at Ingliston from Thursday, June 23, to Sunday, June 26.
This year is a significant milestone in the Royal Highland Show’s history. With celebrations planned to mark the 200th anniversary since the very first show was held way back in 1822, this year Scotland’s biggest and best outdoor event is truly back with a bang!
The four-day event provides a unique opportunity for visitors to get up close to prize livestock, taste an amazing array of premium food and drink, and experience rural life at its most vibrant.
With a big wheel, newly redesigned food and drink hall, Scotland’s Larder, a bustling Countryside Area, tons of activities for the kids, huge exhibits of machinery, exciting displays of farriery and forestry and shopping opportunities aplenty – there’s something for everyone.
In a change for this year, all tickets, including car parking, must be booked in advance with no tickets available on the gate. As always, kids aged 15 and under go free when accompanied by a paying adult (free tickets must also be booked in advance).
This is to allow the effective management of numbers on each day, ensuring the safety of visitors and staff. The benefit of purchasing in advance will ensure visitors can secure their spot for their preferred day as it is expected that the show will sell out due to pent-up demand.
For further information and to purchase tickets please visit royalhighlandshow.org
The sights and sounds of the bustling show rings will be a welcome experience for competitors and visitors alike this year – with many having not witnessed them for three years.
This year two new sheep classes for Valais Blacknose and Dutch Spotted will feature – widely acknowledged as one of the cutest sheep in the world, the Valais Blacknose are famed for their curly coats and spiralling horns.
Two new equestrian classes will also make an appearance – Maxi Cob of the Year Championship and Mountain & Moorland Junior 122cm Working Hunter Pony of the Year. This is in addition to a number of classes being upgraded to Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifier status, which will add an extra element of excitement to the show rings.
To celebrate the show’s bicent-
enary, a range of special commemorative rosettes, prize cards, sashes and medals will be awarded this year – including medals with gold finishing, a change from the usual bronze version awarded in other years. The magnificent Fletcher McDiarmid Trophy, an incredibly ornate and historic award, will also return this year to be presented to the Overall Beef Champion.
This year will see an exciting addition to the showground – a big wheel will be taking centre stage for visitors to marvel at the view of the show from above! The ‘Ingliston Eye’, as it’s being called, will be located in the Lifestyle Village and offer a bird’s eye view of all the action.
Of course, there will also be the usual entertainment offerings across
the Royal Highland Show itself – expect everything from pipe bands and ceilidhs to choirs and pop music.
The Royal Highland Show will take to the small screen to livestream this year’s 200th anniversary event across the globe.
In what has been described as a ‘game changer’ for the Royal Highland Show, organisers have successfully secured £200,000 of
funding from the Scottish govern-ment to drive this ground-breaking initiative.
The free-to-view RHS TV will see a dynamic mix of live and pre-recorded content broadcast throughout the four days, featuring the perfect balance of livestock judging, equestrian classes, culture, interviews, food & drink and, of course, the grand parade.
Not only beamed across the globe, RHS TV will also be transmitted across the showground on giant screens throughout the four days. The content captured will be available to watch back on the Royal Highland Show YouTube channel.
As usual, there is a comprehensive travel plan in place to ensure visitors can get to and from the show as efficiently as possible.
Hopping on public transport remains the easiest and most sustainable option for getting to the showground. Travel by tram or get dropped off right at the gates by the bus. If visitors do want to take the car, booking your parking tickets in advance is required – there will be no parking tickets available on the day.
Be sure to visit the Royal Highland Show website to view the full public transport travel plan.
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