The last 14 day Sydney Royal Easter Show attracts best crowds in more than a decade

The final numbers have come in and have confirmed that the attendance at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show was the highest since 2004.

The official final attendance at this year’s Show was 922,827. Before the 2017 Sydney Royal Easter Show began, the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW had a budgeted forecast of 850,000 showgoers. Prior to this the previous highest attendance was the 964,000 figure in 2004. Last year saw 753,375 people entered the gates of the Sydney Showground. 

The biggest daily attendances in 2017 were Good Friday 119,949 and Easter Monday 112,554. Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) Chief Executive Brock Gilmour says a number of factors combined to make the 2017 Sydney Royal Easter Show memorable; “We had the perfect combination of the Easter long weekend, the school holidays and beautiful weather,” Mr Gilmour said. “On top of that the RAS team worked extremely hard to bring a fresh feel to this year’s Show, a concentration on our heritage, our agricultural roots and our daily entertainment”. 

“We have received so much positive feedback from families who have said they loved the feel of this year’s Royal Easter Show and that they will definitely be coming back next year. “We went out of our way to present a product that was value for money - up to 12 hours of free entertainment, loose change food options and free activities for the kids such as the brand new simulated farm ‘little hands on the land’ - our visitors appreciated it and have commented very positively,” Mr Gilmour said. 

2017 will the last 14 day Sydney Royal Easter Show, with the decision taken to return to its traditional 12 days in 2018. The Sydney Royal Easter Show was extended to 16 days when it relocated to Sydney Olympic Park from Moore Park in 1998, then was reduced to a 14 day show after the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Traditionally the Royal Easter Show’s 195 year history saw it as 12 days in duration. 

One of the key reasons for the change is the desire to place less burden on exhibitors, many of whom spend up to a month away from their families and farms in the lead-up to and during each Show. Next year’s Sydney Royal Easter Show will be held from Friday, March 23 until Tuesday, April 3.