Tips and Tricks To Win At The Sydney Royal Easter Show

I must confess, the last time I went to the Sydney Royal Easter Show was about 4 years ago. All I remember from this was visiting a few farm animals and returning home with a lighter wallet. Most folks will tell you that they visit the Show for the Showbags or the rides. In my opinion, although these activities might be fun side amusements for some; to me they may seem quite limited. No wonder going to the Show may seem like a waste of time and money! Why not make the most out of your visit and experience all the glories that the Sydney Royal Easter Show (April 12-23, 2019) has to offer by planning ahead and with a few simple tips and tricks to keep in mind.

How To Save Money

I encourage families to purchase Showlink tickets in advance. You will save around 30% on a family pass (this includes a free train ride to the show) and purchases can be made at your local Woolworths (for a limited time) or the eastershow.com.au website. If you intend on purchasing carnival coupons for rides also try to do this ahead of time, because there are plenty of savings to be had. There's also a Kids' Day where kids get in for half price until 4pm. 

Get The App!

The 2019 Sydney Royal Easter Show app is a must! It will pinpoint in real-time your location and guide you to the attraction you would like to see. It also provides a daily outline of all the shows, attractions, demonstrations and allows the user to schedule what he/she maybe interested in seeing. Looking for lockers, a baby-room or even parking? This app has you covered!

Things To See

The Easter Show held its first show in 1823 and is an annual celebration of the rural and agricultural industry in Australia. So stop-by the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome and explore each of the district displays featuring the best of the best that our industries have to offer.

There are close to 40 different demonstrations, attractions and hands-on experiences that run hourly. There is something for everyone: shearing sheep, learning to milk a cow, a cooking demonstration, watching dogs, cats and horses being judged, the wood cutting comp and flower demonstrations. It’s all here!

If you have small children with you, I recommend you stop by the Children’s Medical Research Institute ‘Jeans for Genes’ stall located in the Home and Lifestyle Pavillion. Kids will love putting on lab coats and enjoy taking part in the fun research DNA activity on offer. Amongst the magnificent cakes, wood carvings, sculptures and paintings in the Arts and Crafts Pavillion, you should keep an eye out for the ‘Derivan Children’s Painting Activity’ (it’s the one surrounded by the giant colourful koala statues). This section is setup for budding young painters and you can take a breather while your youngster paints an image or two. Don’t forget to walk around the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome for some yummy samples and snacks. The kids loved putting on chef hats and aprons and making their very own sweet potato pizzas at the ‘Australian Sweet Potato’ stall.

Showbags

Best tip I can offer parents is to secure a $2 locker once you arrive at the show. Purchase your bags early and store them until you are ready to leave. Check out the Easter show app for Locker locations and a comprehensive list of over 350 bags.

As a rule of thumb candy/food snack bags are priced around the $10-$15 range and in my opinion most of these items could be purchased at your local Woolies or Coles. Themed bags (licensed Marvel, Disney, tv show, movie-related) were priced around the $23-$30 range. My suggestion would be to keep an open mind until you see the bag on display at the Show and to focus on bags which contain items not usually found at your local Target and Kmart. I usually ignore the “retail value” advertised and most parents will have a good idea of what individual items generally cost anyway.

My 3 youngsters (2, 4 and 6 years) left with the :

Spider-Man bag ($25)

Gag Magic bag ($15)

Disney Princess bag ($26)

Fairy Girls bag ($20)

My youngest just wanted a 30cm George stuffed toy from Peppa Pig which only cost $10.

Finish Off With A BANG!

If there is one show you should not miss it is the ‘The Greatest Easter Show Spectacular- A Million Dreams’ at 7:45pm at the Stadium. It goes for over an hour and is crammed with death-defying motorcycle trapeze, a hot air balloon, aerialists, V8 Ute challenges and many, many more performances. It finishes with the spectacular ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ fireworks. This is a perfect way to end a jam-packed day.

Safety Tip

The crowds are mammoth and it's easy to lose your kids in the thick of it. Our tip is to write your mobile number on your child's arm in case you do lose them. We also recommend taking a photo on your phone of your kids that morning, so in the event that they get lost, you'll be able to let authorities know what they're wearing.

No off you go, have a Dagwood Dog and have fun! 

More Things To Do This Autumn

Free School Holiday Fun This April
Best Easter Events For Families
Sculptures At Scenic World

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