Royal Highland Show celebrates its largest-ever attendance
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A limited number of early bird discounted tickets to the 2024 Royal Highland Show will be released at 6pm today as the gates close on this year’s event - which welcomed the world’s best sheep shearers amongst the 217,000 people who flocked to the show over the four days.
The eyes of the world were on Ingliston this year with over 140,000 views across 113 countries on the Show’s streaming platform, RHS TV, to watch show jumping, traditional skill displays, livestock judging and of course the excitement around the Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing & Woolhandling Championships.
And for those who are already planning a return to the Show next year, a limited number of Super Early Bird tickets for the 2024 Royal Highland Show (20th – 23rd June) will be released today via the Show’s website (royalhighlandshow.org), priced at just £30 with children 15 and under free to attend.
Celebrating the best of Scotland’s food, farming and rural life, high-profile figures attending included: HRH Anne, the Princess Royal; First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf; Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair, Mark Spencer; Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack; and Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon.
26,500 children including secondary pupils from Turriff Academy attended for free in line with the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) charitable remit – this includes school visits organised by the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) and kids aged 15 and under free entry tickets.
Highlights for this year’s show included over 280 trophies, awarded to the over 5000 cattle, sheep, horses, and goats competing with north-east winners including the Mair family from Turriff who took the top native award with their 13 monthold Shorthorn bull Muiresk Strongbow in the beefbreeder category and reserve Texel champion Jim Innes, of Dunscroft, Huntly, with a ram lamb by the 28,000gns Auldhouseburn Fancy Pants.
The Flock to the Show campaign also concluded at the Show – after travelling the length and breadth of Scotland, the 38 decorated sculptures came together to form a trail around the Showground.
The Flock will be auctioned off on September 7, with all proceeds going towards the RHASS Bicentenary Fund, which supports projects in the rural sector dedicated to mental health, sustainability, succession, and women in agriculture.
Furthermore, respected industry accolades were awarded to agri-tech pioneers in the RHASS Technical Innovation Awards, sponsored by Hillhouse Group. Murray Machinery and Lely UK won Gold awards this year.
The Scottish Championships saw food and drink producers and craftspeople recognised for outstanding produce across competitions in Dairy, Honey, and Handcrafts categories – with St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Co and Graham’s the Family Dairy amongst the winners.
The Royal Highland Hoolie was a new addition to the evening entertainment schedule on the Friday and Saturday nights. Presented in partnership with Farmers Bash, the Hoolie saw country music legends like Skipinnish, Skerryvore and Derek Ryan perform to the 4500 strong crowds.
The Royal Highland Show is the flagship fundraising event for organisers the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS). RHASS Head of Show, David Tennant, commented: "As we wrap up another phenomenal Royal Highland Show, we are delighted to have welcomed a record-breaking number of visitors pass through the gates. The strong demand is testament to the fact that the Show has major appeal way beyond the loyal farming community – anyone and everyone can find something to enjoy, no matter your interest.
“Our thanks go out to the hundreds of staff who make this possible, and the RHASS Directors who give up their time year-round to make this incredible event possible.
"And, if you had a great day out this year, the good news is you can grab a bargain with the Super Early Bird tickets for 2024, on sale now.”
Sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, next year’s Royal Highland Show will take place at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh, 20-23 June 2024.
