Balmoral Show

Introduction 

The Balmoral Show is the official agricultural event in Northern Ireland and also the oldest as the very first iteration of the event took place in 1855. The agricultural show has been running every single year with few exceptions in different parts of Northern Ireland before recently setting in the camp grounds near Lisburn. The show is one of the most awaited and important events for local farmers and local businesses. It’s a chance for rural communities to come together, have a good time and generate income. There’s quite a lot happening from shopping and local cuisine to the best in animal competitions and live music. 

Logistics 

The Balmoral Show has eager fans waiting for the show to open its doors in May of every year. The agricultural show is based in Balmoral Park, Lisburn and runs for a total of four days, which are packed with activities and shopping opportunities. The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society or RUAS for short has been organising the show for over 150 years. Lisburn is located a short drive from Belfast and 84 minutes from Dublin. The exhibition grounds are situated just 2 miles outside of Sprucefield at Junction 7. If you’re driving to the Balmoral Show, use postcode BT27 5RL for navigation and rest assured there’s a lot of available parking. If you’re not driving, you can make do with the railway service. Lisburn Train station is located 15 minutes away from the grounds and there will be a complimentary shuttle service available on all four show days. 

What Are People Saying? 

• “It was heartening to see so many people enjoy a day out at last week’s Show and proved that people were eager to get out and about again.  Visitor numbers increased significantly as the Show progressed and we can confirm overall attendance was in line with projections for the encapsulated event which was similar in activity to two-thirds of the usual May event. The support of trade stands, livestock exhibitors, contractors, and all show officials and stakeholders enabled us to successfully put on Northern Ireland’s largest agri-food event,” – Rhonda Geary, Operations Director; 

• “Balmoral Show is such a key event for the agri food sector and it’s a real boost to the morale of the industry that it was able to happen this year. Our thanks for the RUAS for going to such lengths to provide a safe, productive and fun event for everyone who attended. And we very much look forward to the show being back to its usual slot in May 2022.” – Mark Crimmins, Head of Ulster Bank NI

Audience & Statistics 

The Balmoral Show has several sponsors with Ulster Bank as its principal sponsor then followed by TESCO, M&S FOOD, SPAR and abp. The agricultural trade show sees a large audience during its run with a total of 120,000 visitors over the four days. The audience consists of farmers, buyers and families looking for a fun time with their children. In total, there are 750 trade stands grouped together in the Shopping Village held at the Eikon Exhibition Centre. Next door is the Fun Fair, which has rides, games and other attractions to keep the whole family busy. Animal breeders and farmers have their own spaces where they can enter competitions for pedigree horses, ponies, cattle, sheep, poultry, pigs and goats. Exhibitors look forward to the Balmoral Show so that they can reach out to their target audience as well as sell their products to out-of-towners. 

Accommodation 

Book hotels for the Balmoral Show in no time and save money at the same time. Trade Fair Trips ltd is a veteran in the business travel sector and understands what exhibitors need. We provide you with affordable hotel deals all around the fairgrounds in and surrounding Lisburn, so you don’t have to spend a long time on the road to Balmoral Park. Trade Fair Trips ltd accommodates every budget size. Whether you want high-end accommodation or prefer to keep expenses to a minimum, we have just the right hotel in mind. Clients come to us for a variety of reasons as we offer many other services. Do you need someone to put your show booth together? We can send a team to get the job done. We’re also here when you need to book meeting facilities on site! 

Balmoral Show & COVID 

COVID-19 led to the cancelation of Balmoral 2020 and the postponement of Balmoral 2021 to the end of September. The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society waited for the right time to host a show of this size safely and followed the government’s guidelines. There even was a vaccination clinic on site to administer vaccinations. The Balmoral Show 2022 edition returns to its regular May slot with official dates for May 11th – May 14th. Organisers are optimistic to return to full capacity after a very successful first live edition. Balmoral Park will implement the latest coronavirus protective measures from social distancing and masking to one-way paths and frequent sanitation on site.