| Shows
Lorenzo at Great Yorkshire Show
The 160th Great Yorkshire Show will take place in Harrogate in 2018 , celebrating the very best of farming , food and the countryside .
O ver 130,000 visitors and 8,500 animals flock to the Great Yorkshire Showground every year for the three day show , making it one of the biggest in the UK .
Get ready to welcome equestrian dynamo Lorenzo back to the Main Ring with his daredevil bare-back display as one of the 2018 show highlights . Rosemary Shrager will whip up a storm in the cookery theatre and the President ’ s Lawn is set to showcase some very special additions for the first time ever .
In the judging rings , thousands of animals will compete from cattle to sheep , pigs to pigeons and the show finishes with one of the most prestigious showjumping classes in the country , the Cock O ’ The North competition .
From cutting edge farming equipment and machinery to displays from big name brands , this is the place where deals are done and the latest ranges are showcased . While the show has agriculture at its heart , there ’ s also entertainment , shopping , live music , cookery demos and a professional catwalk fashion show – including a one-off celebrity special .
Plans are now underway to celebrate 160 shows spanning the decades since 1838 , with a host of special surprises lined up to mark the milestone . As part of this , show organisers are set to launch a limited edition clothing range in
26 | Farming Monthly | June 2018 the New Year . Look out for a stunning ticket launch in Spring 2018 too ! History of Great Yorkshire Show , organised by Yorkshire Agricultural Society ( YAS )
• 1838 : First Great Yorkshire Show held in the Barrack Yard of the 5th Dragoons at Fulford , near York .
• 1839 – 1841 : The show is held in Leeds , Northallerton and Hull .
• 1842 : GYS returned to York and first attendance figures recorded : 6,044 .
• 1874 : Hugely successful show in Sheffield with attendance of 64 , 111 ( nearly double any previous shows )
• 1914 : Largest recorded show held in Bradford with attendance of 82,461 ( not exceeded until 42 years later )
• 1915-1919 : Show is cancelled due to the First World War .
• 1920 : GYS held jointly with the Royal Agricultural Society of England in Darlington .
• 1926 : GYS held on The Stray in Harrogate and was “ the most successful in the history of the Society ”.
• 1931 : GYS held in fields off Long Lane , Dalton , Huddersfield .
• 1937 : GYS held on York Knavesmire “ widely considered to be one of the best show sites in Britain .”
• 1939 : GYS held in Halifax , two months before the country went to war .
• 1940-1948 : Show is cancelled due to the Second World War .
• 1949 : GYS held in Wakefield and the Society decide to purchase a permanent showground .
• 1950 : Last “ roaming ” show in Malton . The Society bought a 200-acre site overlooking Rudding Park , Harrogate .
• 1951 : First show held at the permanent showground , with attendance of nearly 54,000 .
• 1957 : 100th show sees visitor numbers soar to 118,593 .
• 2001 : Show cancelled due to the outbreak of Foot and mouth disease in Britain .
• 2002 : Highest attendance for more than 20 years and since then attendance has never dropped below 120,000 .
• 2006 : Record breaking visitor numbers of 135,111 .
• 2008 : The show was attended by the Queen to celebrate the 150th show .
• 2012 : First ever show to be cancelled due to weather after unprecedented rainfall ( after the first day ).
• 2018 : This will be the 160th Show
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