What’s new at the 2023 Royal Welsh Show?

With less than one week to go until the 2023 Royal Welsh Show, we highlight almost 50 new aspects of this year’s event…

1.This year is the 102nd Royal Welsh Show.

2. Glamorgan is this year’s Feature County – 70 years since the Royal Welsh Show was held in Cardiff’s Pontcanna fields in 1953. In that year, the UK crowned its new Queen and now 70 years on, we’ve had the coronation of King Charles III.

3. This year also marks 60 years since the first Royal Welsh Show was held at its permanent location at Llanelwedd in 1963.

4. 2023 Royal Welsh Show was officially launched at The Senedd on 28th June 2023, the first time in its history.

5. New team at the helm – first show in post for the Chair of Board; Prof Wynne Jones, Chief Executive; Aled Rhys Jones, Head of Operations; Rachel Powell and Head of Finance; Agata Kowalska-Belcher. Only the second show for the Honorary Show Director, Richard Price; Chair of Council; Nicola Davies and Vice Chair of Council; Alwyn Rees. Together with a number of highly talented new staff appointments.

6. First male Ambassador – Jacob Anthony of Cwm Risca Farm, Tondu, Bridgend.

7. Official Opening – the Show will be officially opened by three members of the 2022 Rural Leadership Programme from Glamorgan – Joshua Govier, Natalie Hepburn and Emily Morgan.

8. New this year – we will be unveiling a brand new Welsh Food and Drink village called “Gwledd | Feast” together with a new live music entertainment stage and seating for over 500 people.

9. Within the new food village, we will be hosting a Big Bocs Bwyd pilot project. Big Bocs Bwyd operate ‘pay as you feel’ food banks, promoting healthy diets, growing vegetables and deliver cooking lessons at some 50 primary schools across Wales. As a partnership with the RWAS, Big Bocs Bwyd containers will be situated at the food village and children from six primary schools will be at the show doing food demonstrations all week.

10. One of the schools attending with the Big Bocs Bwyd will be Cadoxton Primary School, in Barry, South Wales, who has been shortlisted for the World’s Best School in the overcoming adversity category.

11. Also, on the Tuesday of the show, we will be launching our New Vision for Horticulture as we prepare for a major re-vamp of the section in 2024. Our aim is to establish a new horticultural village at the show next year, celebrating all aspects of horticulture in Wales – from community to commercial growing, competitive showing, health and social benefits, education and the provision of sustainable Welsh produce.

12. Entries in our livestock classes are up this year, with over 7,000 animals entered, with increases in the cattle, sheep and pig sections.

13. Sheep entries are at a 10-year high with over 3,400 entered.

14. The British Blonde Cattle Society and Kerry Hill Sheep Society will be holding their national shows during the Royal Welsh Show this year.

15. This year the Queen’s Cup will be awarded to the Section D Welsh Cobs.

16. We have new themes for our major awards this year – the Sir Bryner Jones Award will recognise a farming business who has successfully implemented net zero innovations and the Dr Emrys Evans award will recognise a young person who has embraced the genetic improvement of livestock through the use of breeding indexes.

17.13 Long Service Medals and Certificates will be awarded at this year’s show for farm workers who have, collectively, given over 593 years of service to the industry.

18. New for 2023 – the exceptional equestrian artist, Santi Serra will be a top Main Ring attraction. Acclaimed as the ‘Spanish Horse Whisperer’, Santí will perform his mesmerising choreography act with his Arabic horses every day of the show. The display is natural dressage, capturing the beauty of the horse’s movement, and the harmony between animal and man.

19. A brand new pop-up restaurant will be open during the show called “Pori | Graze” on the edge of the main ring alongside the Members Centre.

20. We’re putting a significant emphasis on becoming greener at this year’s show – having switched our energy supply tariff, all the electricity on the showground is from 100% renewable sources, we’ve introduced a new green policy encouraging traders and caterers to reduce single use plastics and we’ve commissioned Cardiff University to undertake an environmental sustainability review of the show.

21. We’re working closely with Wales YFC, investing in their excellent work as a youth organisation who will be holding a number of competitions on the Circus theme this year, together with an ever-popular ladies rugby competition.

22. Among the celebrity judges at this year’s show are radio presenter, Sara Cox (judging alongside her father, Leonard, in the Interbreed Beef Young Handler Competition) and winner of last year’s Grand National, Sam Waley-Cohen (Supreme Horse Championship).

23. The famous singer-songwriter, Charlotte Church, will be attending on the Tuesday and hosting sound meditation and silent disco sessions.

24. Members from Football Association Wales will be present on the Wednesday and Wrexham AFC will have a presence on the Ifor Williams stand doing activities throughout the week.

25. TV Presenter Sean Fletcher will host a conversation with Neville Southall, former Welsh international footballer, on why promoting mental health and wellbeing is important for all of us, especially those working in agriculture and our rural communities. The event will take place between 9 and 10:30am on the Wednesday of the show at the ITV Pavilion.

26. The Welsh Rugby Union will be launching its new Welsh Language Policy on the first day of the show, with Nigel Walker (Acting Chief Executive), Ioan Cunningham (Head Coach of the Wales Women’s National Rugby Team) and Efa Gruffudd Jones (Welsh Language Commissioner) in attendance.

27. World class shearers will descend on the Meirion Shearing Centre who are guaranteed to raise the roof at the international tests on the Wednesday afternoon. What’s even more special is that Wales took three out of the six world titles at the recent Golden Shears World Shearing Championship held at the Highland Show. The winning Welsh Machine Shearing and Woolhandling Teams and the Champion Shearer of the World, Gwion Lloyd Evans, will be formally presented on the shearing stage at about 4pm on the Wednesday, together with the Blade Shearing Team who came third in the World.

28. ASAO Centenary 100 Champions Project – The Association of Shows and Agricultural Organisations is celebrating its centenary this year and the Royal Welsh Show has been chosen to take part in its 100 champions project. 100 champions from a 100 different shows will be presented with a special one-off commemorative rosette and we have chosen our rosette to be presented to the Champion Shearer of Wales.

29. The well-known shearing commentator, Tom Evans of Beulah, will be launching his new book “A Life in Farming; Where the Hell’s the Time Gone?” and will be signing copies of his book at the Show Shop on the Wednesday between 11am and 12 midday. Tom is known as ‘the voice of Welsh shearing’ having commentated for nearly 40 years at the Royal Welsh Show and at competitions across the world.

30. Social media influencer, Cammy Wilson of The Sheep Game, will be attending for the first time with a stand in the Meirion Shearing Centre.

31. While Avian Flu has meant that there won’t be a poultry and pigeon show this year, a new Egg Section has been introduced instead with educational display boards of different Poultry breeds and a new children’s activity area.

32. Members will be able to enjoy extended hours at Maes M, with the bar open an hour later from 10:30pm to 11:30pm.

33. Wales YFC will be doing a ‘Young Farmers takeover’ at Maes M between 6 and 7pm each day, working with the in house DJ to have a YFC Members’ music takeover and requests, utilise the big screen to promote Wales YFC’s AGM weekend in September, use the YFC selfie board and conduct fun games to win a YFC bucket hat (not involving alcohol).

34. The show is becoming ever popular with international visitors – including a group of over 50 Dutch Sheep farmers and 20 Estonian Farmers who will be visiting on the Monday and Tuesday.

35. We’ve launched a new retro show poster, inspired by old nostalgic travel posters, with only 100 limited edition copies available to purchase at the Show Shop. A number have already been sold so you need to be quick to get yours, a guaranteed collector’s item in year’s to come!

36. We’re planning a Live Music Performance to build up the atmosphere, emotion and tension ahead of the Welsh Cob Stallion competition on the Wednesday. This will involve 8 singers on 8 vehicles in the main ring performing a 10-minute repertoire of crowd-pleasing/uplifting songs to get the crowd going.

37. There will be more musical entertainment at the show than ever before with a full programme at both the Bandstand and the GWLEDD | FEAST Stage. Artists include: Aeron Pugh a’r Band, Aderyn, Bronwen Lewis, Bwca, Clive Edwards, Eleri Angharad, Lowri Evans, Malan, Mari Mathias a’r Band, Martyn Geraint, Morgan Elwy a’r Band, Tri Tenor, TwmpDaith, Sioe Cyw, Sorela, Regimental Band of the Royal Welsh and the Welsh Whisperer.

38. All of which with more coverage from S4C and our media partners than ever before – reaching a global audience. S4C will be broadcasting over 78 hours of coverage across multiple streams and social media platforms with added live feed from the three rings within the main ring.

39. S4C’s Pawb a’i Farn will be filming on the Thursday evening of the Show.

40. BBC Radio 4’s Farming Debate with Anna Hill – Farming Today are hosting a special debate on Welsh food and farming issues which will take place on Tuesday between 3 and 4pm on the GWLEDD | FEAST Food Village Stage. It will be broadcast on Radio 4 on Saturday 29th July at 6:30am.

41. We’ve entered into a new three-year sponsorship deal with Castell Howell to become the new main sponsor of the Main Ring Grandstand, now known as Eisteddle Castell Howell Grandstand.

42. The Montgomeryshire Pavilion has had an upgrade with a new patio frontage and signage.

43. Despite giving the large horticulture section a break for this year, there is still considerable horticultural content at this year’s show. The Merched Y Wawr and WI Floral Art Finals will be held at the South Glamorgan Hall . The YFC will be hosting Floral Art competitions. The Honey section has been relocated to the South Glamorgan Hall. Among the many horticultural related tradestands exhibiting at the show is the Land Workers Alliance who have a programme of seminars throughout the week on Wales Leading the Fruit and Veg Revival, Nature Friendly Food, From Field to Fabric, Land of our Future Report Launch, Regenerative Farming Seed Saving and much more. Their stand will be located within the Countryside Care Section.

44. Work is underway to place a new Flower Wall next to the base of the EE Mast by the side of the Grandstand, as a selfie-spot for visitors and showgoers.

45. Safety is also a major priority for us and this year we have produced a new comprehensive Event Management Plan and we are proud to be working closely with the Builth Wells Event Safety Group and neighbouring landowners to ensure the show is a safe and enjoyable event. We’ve also produced a safety video in partnership with the BWESG.

46. We’ve launched a new Promotional Video showcasing diversity and inclusion – it is called Sioe Y Bobl, Our Show, Your Show and you can view it here.

47. There a number of high-profile politicians attending including the First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford (who will also say a few words at the Opening Ceremony), the Minister for Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, the Climate Change Minister, Julie James, the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership, Hannah Blythyn, and others. From the UK Government, we have the Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies, and the DEFRA Minister, Thérèse Coffey (please note this is not an exhaustive list of VIPs/Politicians as more are confirming by the day).

The 2023 Royal Welsh Show will take place from Monday 24th July – Thursday 27th July.

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