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The 153rd Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) Balmoral Show in partnership with Ulster Bank, is back to its usual late spring date, taking place at Balmoral Park, Lisburn, from Wednesday 11 to Saturday 14 May.
Northern Ireland’s largest agri-food event, it was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while in 2021 a scaled down version was held in September.
There was still a reasonable turnout of exhibitors and visitors last autumn, but a number of large processors put up boards, and did not have staff on their stands. Hospitality across the site was limited and some of the cattle, after being outside all summer, overheated in the shed.
This year it is pretty much a return to normal, although visitors are still encouraged to take a rapid lateral flow COVID-19 test in advance of attending the show.
The event, which normally attracts over 100,000 visitors, traditionally ran from a Wednesday to a Friday, but the show was extended to a Saturday in 2017.
The Saturday has tended to be the busiest day in recent years, especially with families and urban visitors.
If you want to avoid large crowds, it might be prudent to come earlier in the week.
As well as the usual mix of hundreds of trade stands across farming, food, crafts and fashion, livestock farmers across the main breeds of beef, dairy, sheep, goats and pigs will compete for the various Balmoral titles. However, recent outbreaks of avian influenza across Ireland means that poultry gatherings remain banned, so there will be no poultry, pigeon or egg competitions.
Main arena
In the main arena, there will be a full complement of show jumping championships, including a return of international classes after they were absent from the 2021 show.
On Wednesday to Friday the main arena will also host North Devon quad bike stuntman Paul Hannam.
Across the 65ac Balmoral Park site there is also the shearing pavilion playing host to shearing and wool handling competitions, a fun fair, a children’s farm, a healthy horticulture area and the NI food pavilion showcasing the best of local produce.
To help get around the site and follow the timetable of events a Balmoral Show app is available for download on Apple Store and Google Play. Search for “Balmoral Show”.
Getting to the show and getting in
The Balmoral Show site is located off the Halftown Road, Lisburn, and for those travelling by car there will be directional signage as you approach the venue (enter postcode BT27 5RL in your satnav).
If coming by train, there is a regular free shuttle service to Lisburn train station (15 minutes away), while Translink also offers a number of options to come to the show by bus (see www.translink.co.uk/balmoralshow).
Online tickets
Entry to the show is by online ticket only (go to: www.balmoralshow.co.uk/buy-tickets). The tickets should either be printed out or downloaded to a smartphone.
There will be no tickets available at the gate, but a visitor can still buy online at the time of arrival.
Tickets are day specific, non-transferable and non-refundable.
There is a small discount for those who purchase up to Tuesday 10 May, with entry costing £22.50 for adults, £17 for seniors (over 65), £16 for young people aged 12 to 18, and £3.20 for children aged between five and 11. Those under five can go free.
Those prices are up slightly from recent years (adult entry in 2021 was £20), and if tickets are bought after Tuesday 10 May 2022, the adult price is £24, seniors are £18, young people £17 and children will be charged £4.
Car parking
There is an extensive car park at Balmoral Park, and the charge per car is £10.
Opening times
The showgrounds open each morning at 9.30am, and close at 6pm on Wednesday, 8pm on Thursday, 7pm on Friday and 6pm on Saturday.
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