As its centenary approaches, the Royal Canberra Show is certainly looking healthy enough to last another 100 years.

More than 45,000 people went through the gates at Exhibition Park in Canberra over the weekend to watch the showjumping, pig racing, BMX stunt-riding, fireworks and much more – a figure that’s up considerably on 2023’s 38,000 visitors.

Put on every February by the Royal National Capital Agricultural Society (RNCAS), this year’s show “absolutely hit it out of the park”, according to CEO Adelina La Vita.

“Last year was down on numbers a little bit, but this year … we’re really thankful,” she says.

“The showjumping was especially popular – we’ve never seen that amount of people sitting there in the main area for that long.”

This year was also the first time the show secured a grant through the ACT Government’s ‘Events’ fund.

While the exact figure is “commercial-in-confidence”, Ms La Vita says it enabled them to offer free components to the show, including a new kids’ gaming ground.

This was “full of kids and families watching the pig racing, taking part in the hobby horse races, playing with bubbles and making balloons in a balloon workshop and just get being entertained for a long time in the shade”.

“We wanted to secure funding from the government to be able to present more free activities once you’re on the ground because we understand the financial pressures families are facing,” she says.

These little piggies went to the Canberra Show. Photo: Royal Canberra Show.

As it was, tickets cost $27 for an adult, $13 for children aged 6-16, $16 for students or concession card holders, and $67 for a family, with children under 6 free.

Whether the show applies for government funding in future years will depend on the return on investment, but management is confident.

“We wanted to really bring in interstate visitors to Canberra – increase the yield of overnight visitation and help Canberra’s businesses, restaurants and hotels … And the Canberra community has responded.”

The Royal Canberra Show traces its origins back to 1908 when the Ginninderra Farmers’ Union organised a show at Ginninderra, which quickly grew into the most successful event of its type in the region.

However, it disappeared when the Federal Government took ownership of the site, and it wasn’t until well after World War I – in 1927 – that the ‘Canberra Show’ was born, held in Hall on a makeshift showground cut out of the bush.

The show moved to its current home (now known as EPIC) in 1964, when 15,000 people attended.

Ms La Vita says plans are already underway for a centenary celebration.

“The Canberra Show is rich in heritage and history … and we’ll be asking Canberrans to help us tell the story of the last 100 years through their lens.

“Once we finish with this year, we’ll definitely start looking into 2027.”

Were you there? Photo: Photox, Royal Canberra Show, Facebook.

Will it remain at EPIC for another 100 years?

“Absolutely. We have the infrastructure here for the animals and the livestock – which is essential for our success – and just the sheer size of the main arena, which is one of the biggest in Australia, allows us to be able to put on the horse competitions and show-jumping.

“It’s all built for agricultural shows.”

The next Royal Canberra Show will be held at EPIC from Friday, 27 February, to Sunday, 1 March 2026.