Scotland’s biggest and best display of food, farming & rural life celebrates 200 years
The Royal Highland Show is set to return this year, with the first full Show since 2019 taking place at Ingliston from Thursday 23rd – Sunday 26th June.
2022 is a significant milestone in the Royal Highland Show’s history. With celebrations planned to mark the 200th anniversary since the very first Show was held way back in 1822, this year Scotland’s biggest and best outdoor event is truly back with a bang!
The four-day event provides a unique opportunity for visitors to get up close to prize livestock, taste an amazing array of premium food & drink, and experience rural life at its most vibrant.
With a big wheel, newly redesigned food & drink hall, Scotland’s Larder, a bustling Countryside Area, tons of activities for the kids, huge exhibits of machinery, exciting displays of farriery & forestry and shopping opportunities aplenty – there’s something for everyone!
Changes for 2022
In a change for this year, all tickets, including car parking, must be booked in advance with no tickets available on the gate. As always, kids aged 15 and under go free when accompanied by a paying adult (free tickets must also be booked in advance).
This is to allow the effective management of numbers on each day, ensuring the safety of visitors and staff. The benefit of purchasing in advance will ensure visitors can secure their spot for their preferred day as it is expected that the Show will sell out due to pent-up demand.
For further information and to purchase tickets please visit royalhighlandshow.org.
What’s new in the competition rings
The sights and sounds of the bustling show rings will be a welcome experience for competitors and visitors alike this year – with many having not witnessed them for three years.
This year, two new sheep classes for Valais Blacknose and Dutch Spotted will feature – widely acknowledged as one of the cutest sheep in the world, the Valais Blacknose are famed for their curly coats and spiralling horns.
Two new equestrian classes will also make an appearance – Maxi Cob of the Year Championship and Mountain & Moorland Junior 122cm Working Hunter Pony of the Year. This is in addition to a number of classes being upgraded to Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) qualifier status, which will add an extra element of excitement to the show rings!
To celebrate the Show’s bicentenary, a range of special commemorative rosettes, prize cards, sashes and medals will be awarded this year – including medals with gold finishing, a change from the usual bronze version awarded in other years. The magnificent Fletcher McDiarmid Trophy, an incredibly ornate and historic award, will also return this year to be presented to the Overall Beef Champion.
Entertainment like never before
2022 will see an exciting addition to the Showground – a big wheel be taking centre stage for visitors to marvel at the view of the Show from above! The ‘Ingliston Eye’ as it’s being called will be located in the Lifestyle Village and offer a bird’s eye view of all the action.
And as if the Royal Highland Show wasn’t enough to entertain – The Big Top is coming to Ingliston and visitors this year will have the chance to extend their stay to attend an evening concert.
The concerts will take place outwith the main showground on the west side, well away from all areas where livestock and horses are stabled, penned or stalled.
Of course, there will also be the usual entertainment offerings across the Royal Highland Show itself – expect everything from pipe bands and ceilidhs to choirs and pop music!
RHS TV & app
The Royal Highland Show will take to the small screen to livestream this year’s 200th anniversary event across the globe.
In what has been described as a ‘game changer’ for the Royal Highland Show, organisers have successfully secured £200,000 of funding from the Scottish Government to drive this ground-breaking initiative.
The free-to-view RHS TV will see a dynamic mix of live and pre-recorded content broadcast throughout the four days, featuring the perfect balance of livestock judging, equestrian classes, culture, interviews, food & drink and of course, the grand parade.
Not only beamed across the globe, RHS TV will also be transmitted across the showground on giant screens throughout the four days. The content captured will be available to watch back on the Royal Highland Show YouTube channel.
In another move taking the Show experience digital, this year will also see the launch of the Royal Highland Show app, which will enhance the experience for showgoers – more details on this will be revealed in the run up to the event.
These innovative additions to the Royal Highland Show ensure that not only Show exhibitors and competitors, but Scotland at large is put on the map as the Show experience is broadcast to an international audience.
Showcasing Scotland’s food & drink
This year sees some exciting developments for food and drink at the Show.
The food hall experience has been completely re-designed – ‘Scotland’s Larder’ as it’s now known, will offer an unrivalled showcase for the very best produce from Scotland and around the UK.
There is a focus on Scottish produce of course, with over 75% of exhibitors in Scotland’s Larder based in Scotland.
Tying in with the Highland & Islands Presidential Team initiative, there will be a Bothy placed in the centre of the hall. This will house a café hosted by the team at Mimi’s Bakehouse, serving delicious cakes and coffees.
This new area has been designed to completely enhance the food and drink experience at the Show, with congestion eased and more opportunities to stop and savour the variety of tastes on offer.
And with the Scottish Championships taking place, expect to see lovely loaves, beautiful butter, and heavenly honey on display, with well-known names and artisanal producers alike competing for the most prestigious produce awards in Scotland.
Winners of the 2021 Scottish Championships for Dairy, Bread and Honey products will be celebrated at the Show in the Champions Corner, providing a lunch menu using Championship ingredients. Winners from this year’s Scottish Championships will also be announced and celebrated!
Brand-new Kids Zone
Another exciting new feature for 2022 is the introduction of a dedicated Kids Zone in the Countryside Area.
This interactive experience is sure to delight kids and parents alike and will feature activities like a nature trail, featuring outdoor play equipment and John Deere mini tractors!
Children will be able to take part in activities and find out more about the history of the Royal Highland Show in a fun, interactive way.
This is in addition to the ever-popular Discovery Centre, run by the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) and designed to help curious young minds learn more about the countryside and where their food comes from!
To help celebrate the 200th show this year, RHET is producing the ‘Great Big A-Z of Food and Farming’ story.
A page a day will be released throughout June, with the whole digital book being released on the 26th of June. This story will cover a wide range of topics in a user-friendly way and be linked to various activities to get involved with.
RHET will also be offering digital engagement via its Showtime Discovery Trail. The trail will take young visitors around several points on the showground to learn more about food and farming.
The RHET Discovery Centre will also host a grand finale for the charity’s ‘Year of Beef’ project, creating several interactive experiences for families and school pupils around beef farming.
Getting there
As usual, there is a comprehensive travel plan in place to ensure visitors can get to and from the Show as efficiently as possible.
Hopping on public transport remains the easiest and most sustainable option for getting to the Showground. Travel by tram or get dropped off right at the gates by the bus.
If visitors do want to take the car, booking your parking tickets in advance is required – there will be no parking tickets available on the day!
Be sure to visit the Royal Highland Show website to view the full public transport travel plan.
RHASS Chairman Bill Gray commented: “To be able to celebrate the 200th anniversary of that first Show is really special – not just for us as directors, staff and members of the Society but also for the wider communities that have missed the opportunity to get out and about and meet one other.
“The absolute highlight of this year’s Show will be the chance to show off our new pavilion to our members and guests. It is a wonderful building and fitting to be at the heart of our showground at Ingliston. Let’s meet there, celebrate and be proud to be a part of this wonderful event.”
Supported by Royal Bank of Scotland, the Royal Highland Show will take place at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh, on 23-26 June 2022.
For further information and to purchase tickets please visit royalhighlandshow.org.