The 155th Balmoral Show in partnership with Ulster Bank, takes place at the Eikon Exhibition Centre, Lisburn from Wednesday 15 May to Saturday 18 May 2024.
Organised by the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS), the four-day event normally attracts over 100,000 visitors. While daily numbers can be weather dependent, for those who prefer to avoid large crowds, the Wednesday tends to be the quietest day, with numbers peaking on the Saturday.
As noted by RUAS president John Henning on p50, the show provides a fantastic opportunity for farmers and the wider agri-food industry to engage with consumers and reinforce the importance of farming to the economy across Ireland.
He maintains that what makes Balmoral Show stand out from other large scale events is the opportunity to get up close to cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, poultry and rabbits competing in various classes.
For equine enthusiasts there is €55,000 up for grabs across four days of international show jumping competitions in the main arena, while around the grounds and in the main Eikon building, there will be hundreds of trade exhibitors in place.
In the Food and Drink pavilion 90 local companies will showcase a wide variety of original products. There is also a Healthy Horticulture area with its own timetable of events and a new Sustainability Village hosting an array of businesses and charities providing expert advice on issues such as renewable energy and electric vehicles.
Sheep shearing and wool handling competitions will take place in the Shearing pavilion, while international sheep dog trialist, James P McGee will give a demonstration in the cattle rings on Wednesday (5.15pm) and Friday (5.30pm) afternoons.
Young farmer activities are mainly on the Thursday, while the main beef cattle competitions are on the Wednesday and Thursday, with dairy cow championships on the Friday. Each class winner in the cattle rings takes part in a parade in the main arena on Saturday afternoon.
The 155th Balmoral Show promises to be a very busy and successful event.