In the United Kingdom, a county show is a summer outdoor

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, breed ...

. The events have competitions, with prizes awarded by judges, allowing farmers and breeders to show off their cattle or crops. There are many trade stands which offer the latest farming machinery, feeds,

fertiliser A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

s and other farming products. Other trade stands and activities have been added to make the shows more attractive to locals and visitors. Often there are features such as

showjumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...

funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...

, military displays and food exhibitions. In the early years these shows used to be held in different locations each year, but in the 1960s the local agricultural societies started to buy land to create permanent showgrounds. The first purpose-built showground was in

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

, where the

Great Yorkshire Show The Great Yorkshire Show (GYS) is an agricultural show which takes place on the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, North Yorkshire in the North of England annually from the second Tuesday of July until the following Thursday. It is organis ...

is held. Many of the larger counties hold their own shows: these include the Royal County of Berkshire Show, the

Cheshire Show The Royal Cheshire County Show (simply referred to as 'Royal Cheshire County Show' and 'Royal Cheshire Show', and formerly Cheshire County Show) is a county agricultural show that is held on two days in June each year on land west of Flittogate ...

, the

Royal Cornwall Agricultural show The Royal Cornwall Agricultural Show, usually called the Royal Cornwall Show, is an agricultural show organised by the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, which takes place at the beginning of June each year, at Wadebridge in north Cornwa ...

, the

Devon County Show The Devon County Show is an agricultural show held annually from Thursday to Saturday in the third week of May at the Westpoint Arena and Showground in Clyst St Mary near Exeter. It is one of a number of county shows in the United Kingdom. The ...

, the

Kent County Show The Kent County Show is an event hosted annually by thKent County Agricultural Societyat their Kent Showground headquarters at Detling near Maidstone in Kent, England. The event is primarily an agricultural show, showcasing the produce of Kent f ...

, the

Westmorland County Show Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

,Derbyshire
/ref> Dorset, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, and Surrey.

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

has the

which is claimed as the largest three-day agricultural show in England. On the other hand, some counties have grouped together and created such shows as: The Royal

Three Counties Show The Three Counties Showground is a showground site in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, covering 90 acres owned by the Three Counties Agricultural Society. The first show at the site was held in 1958 and was attended by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mot ...

(Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire), The

East of England Show The East of England Agricultural Society is an agricultural society in the east of England. The Society which is a registered charity owns the land known as the East of England Showground in Peterborough, England. History The Society was formed ...

(Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire), the

Royal Welsh Show The Royal Welsh Show ( cy, Sioe Frenhinol Cymru) is organised by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, which was formed in 1904. It takes place in July of each year, at Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells, in Powys, Mid Wales. The first show was hel ...

, the

Royal Highland Show The Royal Highland Show is Scotland's biggest annual Agricultural show. The show is organised by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. Held annually in June at the Royal Highland Centre in Ingliston, the event attracts ove ...

, the

South of England Show The South of England Show is a county show held annually at its own showground in Ardingly, Sussex during June. The show was founded in 1967 and is organised by the South of England Agricultural Society, which is patronised by Queen Elizabeth ...

(Sussex), The

Royal Bath and West Show The Royal Bath and West is an agricultural show for the West of England. Held every year at its permanent show ground near Shepton Mallet, Somerset, it is one of a number of County shows in the United Kingdom and is a four-day show. In 2009 and 2 ...

(Somerset and Wiltshire) and the now-defunct

Royal Show The Royal Show, also known as the Royal Agricultural Show, was an annual agricultural show/fair held by the Royal Agricultural Society of England every year from 1839 to 2009. The event encompassed all aspects of farming, food and rural life - ...

—the largest of all, which was held in

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

, but encompassed the whole country.

References

External links

Guide to UK County Shows & Fairs
{{DEFAULTSORT:County Shows In The United Kingdom Annual events in the United Kingdom Lists of fairs Summer events in the United Kingdom Summer festivals Festivals in the United Kingdom