Following three long years without an Ekka, Queenslanders celebrated the historic return of the 143rd Royal Queensland Show from August 6-14.
More than 345,000 people came together over the nine days in a celebration of agriculture.
RNA Chief Executive Brendan Christou said after such a challenging time, it was wonderful to finally throw open the gates and reunite the country and the city.
“The Ekka is the largest ticketed event to be held in Queensland since the pandemic and it was wonderful to see everyone come back together again after the challenges of the past two years.”
Mr Christou said visitors returned to celebrate all the traditional show favourites from exceptional animals and championship competitions to world class entertainment, heart-stopping rides and fun showbags.
“We had more than 20,000 competition entries across 55 Ekka competitions competing not just for the coveted blue ribbon but a total competition prize pool of $615,000,” he said.
“From champion woodchoppers to 8-year-old quilters to 4-year-old horse competitors to 90-year-old bakers, the Ekka truly welcomes all and continues to create those magical memories.”
People’s Day was hugely successful with close to 60,000 people attending the Show, additionally, Ekka Monday saw a 6% increase on 2019 with 39,000 people attending, and Ekka Friday enjoyed a 21% increase compared to 2019 with close to 40,000 in attendance.
The RNA thanks Queenslanders for their overwhelming support of the Show and looks forward to the 2023 Ekka from August 12-20.
