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Royal Three Counties Show 2024 - A great family day out!

A fantastic family day out awaits at this year’s Royal Three Counties Show

The Royal Three Counties Show, one of the UK’s largest celebrations of our glorious countryside and rural life, is back at Three Counties Showground in Malvern from 14 - 16 June 2024, with a packed programme of exciting new experiences and features, extraordinary entertainment, delicious food and drink, hundreds of animals and plenty of family fun. And, as under 16s can enter for free, it makes for a great family day out this summer.

The Royal Three Counties Show is nationally recognised as one of the largest livestock and equine shows in central England, so there’s plenty of farmyard encounters for animal loving little ones to enjoy. A highlight of the show is the Grand Parade of Livestock, taking place daily in the Main Arena, in which hundreds of animals are proudly led around the arena while commentators provide interesting information about the unique characteristics of each breed. For even more animal encounters, head over to the Farming Village (sponsored by Ballards LLP) where 120 breeds of animals will participate in nearly 900 classes to be crowned champion of champions. Visitors will get the chance to see the country’s largest gathering of rare and minority breed livestock.

The Royal Three Counties Show boasts a packed programme of exciting entertainment across the three days, including the return of the thrilling Bolddog Lings freestyle motorcross stunt display team. Watch in awe as these highly skilled riders perform heart-stopping stunts up to 35ft in the air. The Red Devils – the British Army’s world-class parachute display team – will freefall from the sky at speeds of up to 120mph creating spectacular canopy formations to delight visitors of all ages. Another highlight of the Royal Three Counties Show is the high-octane entertainment provided by the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Arena, where visitors will be wowed by the high-speed axe and saw skills on display by these elite athletes. Don’t miss the exhilarating West Midlands Area and the Three Counties Show Tug of War competition, which sees over 200 eager young farmers from across six counties all fiercely competing to be crowned champion, taking place on Sunday 16 June.

At the Countryside Area, visitors can marvel at magnificent birds of prey, including eagles, hawks and owls, as they showcase their natural hunting prowess and aerial acrobatics in interactive displays provided by Hawkeye Falconry. The Family Gun Dog and Scurry area will feature super speedy working gundogs putting their diligent training into action as they navigate jumps and obstacles to retrieve a ball in a thrilling, high-speed race against the clock.

On Saturday and Sunday, some of the top teams from across the country will present historic cavalry techniques as their fast-paced ponies gallop around in the Prince Philip Cup Pony Club Mounted Games. Over at the Stable Yard, visitors have the opportunity to get up close and personal with our equine friends, as Worcester Riding School will host a variety of fun activities for families. The Pony Racing Authority will return to the show again this year with Equicizer machines, giving children the chance to experience the thrill of race riding and the chance to race against one another on mechanical horses. Little ones will love watching the adorable mini spotted ponies, Rolo and Sprout, proudly show off their tricks in entertaining performances at the Countryside Area.

The Bees and Honey Tent is the perfect place for curious youngsters to learn more about the vital role bees play in our ecosystem. There will be a variety of engaging activities to get involved with, including children’s competitions to create bee sculptures and collages, shoebox gardens, bee photography, and some delicious cookery competitions using honey to create flapjacks and gingerbread. Little ones will also get the opportunity to see live bees working away in a hive, while adults can try their hand at beeswax sculptures and candle-making.

Over at the new Smallholders’ Village, youngsters can enjoy getting their hands dirty digging for their dinner in the popular Potato Dig. They can also learn more about the fascinating importance of soil and discover the essential role worms play in creating healthy soil which is used to grow the food that we eat. There will be a giant wormery for inquisitive youngsters to get a glimpse into this otherwise hidden process, and adults can find out more about smallholdings, including growing your own veg and keeping small animals.

The Adventure Avenue offers a range of unique family activities, including cooking workshops run by Ladies in Pigs (who specialise in the education and promotion of British food and farming) and fencing and laser target shooting run by members of the Pentathlon GB team. Midlands Air Ambulance will have a decommissioned helicopter pod on display for visitors to explore, the British Army will be hosting a variety of engaging STEM activities, and the Royal Navy will be on hand to teach visitors how submarines ‘dive’ (the process of ascending and descending in the water).

This year’s Royal Three Counties Show features a host of special guests, inclduing BBC Countryfile and The One Show presenter, Matt Baker MBE, who will be participating in two Q&A sessions on Saturday 15 June at the Future of Farming theatre and also at the Food and Drink Theatre. On Sunday, fellow BBC Countryfile presenter John Craven OBE will take part in a Q&A session followed by a book signing alongside JB Gill – JLS band member, CBeebies presenter and farmer – who will host an engaging live reading of his charming book ‘Ace and the Animal Heroes’, followed by a chance to meet JB and get a signed copy of his book, at the Smallholders Theatre. Matty Edgell – winner of Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off in 2023 – will put his skills into action on stage at the Food and Drink Theatre, as well as answering questions from the audience and signing copies of his latest book, on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 June.

Alice Arnold, Show Lead for Royal Three Counties Show at Three Counties Showground, commented:
“We’ve been working hard to create an exciting and engaging programme for families to enjoy at this year’s Royal Three Counties Show. There will be a wide range of interesting activities and fun entertainment based around themes of rural life, countryside, food, farming and vocational careers.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome 3,000 local school children from Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire to the show on Friday 14th June, with workshops for every student that complement the national curriculum.”
“We’ll also host around 1,000 young members of the scouting and guiding community across the weekend, who will work to earn their Royal Three Counties Show 2024 badge by participating in activities such as discovering livestock breeds, how to manage a smallholding and how to be safe in the countryside.”

Advance day tickets to the Royal Three Counties Show cost £23 for adults and children under 16 are free. To book tickets, visit www.royalthreecounties.co.uk or call 01684 584 924.