The Ekka is the annual
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 breeding stock is exhibit ...
of
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
,
Australia. Its formal title is the Royal Queensland Show, and it is held at the
Brisbane Showgrounds
Brisbane Showgrounds (formerly known as the Brisbane Exhibition Ground) is located at 600 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and was established in 1875. It hosts more than 250 events each year, with the largest bein ...
. It was originally called the Brisbane Exhibition, but it is more commonly known as the "Ekka", short for "exhibition". It is run by
The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA).
The Ekka is Queensland's largest annual event, which welcomes an average of 400,000 visitors each August.
The show welcomes 21,000 competition entries, 10,000 animals, and hours of free family entertainment, including a night program. The Ekka features a
sideshow alley,
showbag pavilion, and nightly
fireworks
Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...
displays.
The significance of the first exhibition held in 1876 was described by locals as the most important event since the
separation of Queensland
The Separation of Queensland was an event in 1859 in which the land that forms the present-day State of Queensland in Australia was excised from the Colony of New South Wales and created as a separate Colony of Queensland.
History
European set ...
from
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
in 1859.
In 2009 as part of the
Q150 celebrations, the Ekka was announced as one of the
Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as an "event and festival".
History
![Farrier competion, Ekka, Brisbane, 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Farrier_competition%2C_Ekka%2C_Brisbane%2C_2015.jpg)
The first show, held between 22 and 26 August 1876, attracted 17,000 visitors. The centrepiece of the grounds was the timber exhibition building which housed 1,700 individual exhibits in total.
One of the first popular attractions was a timber bridge built by saw-miller William Pettigrew. All visitors to the show were given a free bag of coal; this is considered the first example of what would become the
showbag. The show was a spin-off from the famous International Exhibitions being held in Britain and worldwide dating from the
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
Exhibition of 1851.
A new
grandstand designed by Claude William Chambers was open for the 1906 show.
It was later named the John Macdonald stand in recognition of a long-serving member of the Royal National Association. In 1920, the show was visited by the Prince of Wales (who later became King
Edward VIII) who was asked and gave permission for the name of the association to change to the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland.
During a time when the Ekka was still young, the main purpose of the agricultural show, as its name suggests, was to show off many agricultural and industrial exhibits. It was a chance for people to show off newly invented agricultural and industrial devices such as ultra modern ploughing, sowing and harvesting artefacts. Cattle and other farm animals were also exhibited during the show, a practice that remains to this day. The Animal Nursery, which has been running since 1964, features around 500 baby farmyard animals for visitors to meet and greet.
Since its opening, the show has been cancelled four times,
first in 1919 throughout the time of the
Spanish flu
The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case wa ...
pandemic, where the grounds were employed as temporary hospital wards for the sick, then in 1942, due to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
shows were cancelled in 2020 due to health concerns and again in 2021 as South East Queensland was then in lockdown.
Location
The Ekka is held in Queensland's capital city,
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
, for 10 days each August at the
Brisbane Showgrounds
Brisbane Showgrounds (formerly known as the Brisbane Exhibition Ground) is located at 600 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and was established in 1875. It hosts more than 250 events each year, with the largest bein ...
in the suburb of
Bowen Hills
Bowen Hills is an inner north-eastern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the Bowen Hills had a population of 3,226 people.
Geography
Bowen Hills is by road from the Brisbane CBD.
Mayne is a neighbourhood within the s ...
. The Ekka is run by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA). The Ekka is Brisbane's most popular event of any sort, with around 400,000 visitors attending the show in recent years.
The showgrounds covers an area of 22 hectares.
During Ekka, the
Exhibition railway line
The Exhibition railway line is a special-purpose railway line in Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It conveys Queensland Rail City network passengers during the Royal Queensland Show (locally known as "the Ekka") in August a ...
is operational with special trains (some of them historic steam trains) carrying passengers to the
Exhibition railway station in the middle of the Brisbane Showgrounds.
Attractions
Attractions at the Ekka include fairground rides, a
Side Show Alley, animal parades, woodchopping competitions, agricultural displays and
equestrian
The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse".
Horseback riding (or Riding in British English)
Examples of this are:
* Equestrian sports
*Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...
events.
Showbags are also an integral part of the Ekka experience. Usually containing food items (such as
confectionery and novelty items), showbags are sold in the Showbag Pavilion. The contents of the showbags are tested to ensure they comply with safety standards. In 2015, there were 362 different showbags available for visitors to spend their money on and enjoy samples of products. Showbags range from $1, $2 (the famous
Bertie Beetle Bag) and up to $108, providing companies the opportunity to offer their merchandise to the public at discounted prices.
Competitions remain at the heart of the Ekka. Since the very first show in 1876, the Ekka has been rewarding and recognising those dedicated to producing the best of the best. The competitions include agricultural products such as livestock, fruit and vegetables, and skills in areas as diverse as
farriery
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adju ...
and
cake decorating.
The Ekka strawberry sundae was introduced in 1950 by
Paul's dairy company. In 1989, the sale of the strawberry sundaes became a joint initiative between the RNA and the Prince Charles Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, with sale proceeds going to the latter to fund medical research. The sundae consists of a cup ice cream cone filled with vanilla ice cream, chopped strawberries and strawberry ice cream, topped with whipped cream and a whole strawberry. At Ekka 2014, around 117,000 strawberry sundaes were consumed.
Impact
The Ekka, due to its large attendance, raises a large amount of revenue. Estimates of this number average around the
$100 million mark, yet this amount may fluctuate with weather in Brisbane at the time (a particularly wet August may reduce attendance significantly).
Because of the cultural significance of the Ekka, the
City of Brisbane
The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainlan ...
holds a Wednesday
public holiday
A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year.
Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...
known as "People's Day". The Ekka starts on the first Friday in August, except if the first Friday is before 5 August, in which case it starts on the second Friday of August. People's Day is then the Wednesday after the Ekka commences. To avoid overcrowding, some surrounding regions have the public holiday on alternative days.
Ekka Winds
Frequently, in the week leading up to the Ekka, the chilly 'Ekka winds' descend on
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
. These are westerly winds caused by high pressure systems in the
Great Australian Bight
The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.
Extent
Two definitions of the extent are in use – one used by the International Hydrog ...
.
References
External links
*
*
{{Agricultural shows in Australia
Recurring events established in 1876
Culture of Brisbane
Royal shows in Australia
1876 establishments in Australia
History of Brisbane
Agriculture in Queensland