To view the highlight reel MRS 2022 Highlight Reel – YouTube
Victoria’s most loved and iconic community event, the Melbourne Royal Show, returned in 2022 better than ever with more smiles and bigger attendances.
Over the 11 days of the 2022 Melbourne Royal Show from Thursday 22 September to Sunday 2 October, we saw:
- 501,784 people come through the gates across 11 days, the highest attendance for 15 years
- More than 50,000 attended each of the first four days
- The first day, Thursday 22 September was a sell-out and a record Day 1 attendance
- Sunday 25 September was also a sell-out
- On eight of the 11 days, more than 40,000 attended, including the final day, Sunday 1 October.
Visitors to this year’s Show loved the great family fun and farm experiences by day and the feast of fabulous food, spectacular entertainment and live music by night. The new and improved layout and the addition of new food precincts including Melbourne Laneway and Graze open-air dining with ample seating were a huge success.
The Victorian Government support of children 14 years and under being admitted free was a huge success and contributed to the increased attendance, with more than 179,000 child tickets redeemed.
Melbourne Royal CEO Brad Jenkins said: “After the two-year hiatus it was incredibly pleasing to see half-a-million people come along and enjoy a great day and night out with family and friends at the 2022 Melbourne Royal Show. The Melbourne Royal Show is the much-loved Victorian major event that puts smiles on faces and brings the community together to celebrate agriculture. We are most grateful to the Victorian community for supporting the 2022 Melbourne Royal Show and making it better than ever.”
The true stars of the Show were the thousands of animals and their handlers all vying to win a coveted Melbourne Royal blue ribbon. From livestock and their handlers to show horses and their champion riders; poultry and their fanciers and the championship dogs and their owners.
Over 3,000 of the most intricate creations of the art, craft and cookery entrants were on display along with the strength and skill of the woodchoppers all striving to claim a Melbourne Royal blue ribbon.
A record breaking 16,027 scones with jam and cream from the Country Women’s Association (CWA).
The Show After Dark also saw increased evening attendances with the most popular nights being Friday 23 September with The Veronica’s, Friday 30 September with Sneaky Sound System and Saturday 1 October with Baker Boy.
With over 1,100 volunteers, 900 businesses, involved in bringing the Show to life, the Melbourne Royal Show contributes over a quarter of a billion dollars to the state economy.
Melbourne Royal thanks the half a million Victorians who attended as well as everyone involved in the making the Melbourne Royal Show one of the best ever including volunteers, exhibitors and competitors, sponsors and partners, members, suppliers, carnival operators, show bag and retail vendors.
The Melbourne Royal Show is the Victorian major event that brings the community together to celebrate agriculture – producers, products and produce – from rural and regional Victoria to greater Melbourne, it’s for all Victorians.
The Melbourne Royal Show is many things to many Victorians. It’s the celebration of agriculture that has been creating happy memories since 1848 and more will be made in 2023 from Thursday 21 September to Sunday 1 October when the Melbourne Royal Show celebrates 175 years.