Royal Highland Show: 200,000 people gather for event with record breaking ticket sales

More than 220,000 people attended this year’s Royal Highland Show – generating £3.3 million.

Friday and Saturday sold out, with general tickets sales up 2.5% from last year with more attendees than Taylor Swift’s recent record-breaking concerts.

More than 9,000 people spent Friday and Saturday evening at the toe-tapping Royal Highland Hoolie, with country and folk music from an array of artists including native Scottish band Tide-Lines and Irish singer Derek Ryan.

The Queen’s Cup, which was presented by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1960 to commemorate her presidency of the Royal Highland Show was, this year, awarded to the Dairy Section with the Laird family scooping the coveted prize two years back-to-back.

They are only the second family to do so and the third to win it for a second time.

Around 6,000 livestock were welcomed, including 2,500 competitors from across the UK, and visitors from as far afield as Australia and Argentina.

The Sir William Young Award, which recognises exceptional contributions to the world of livestock breeding and celebrates the enduring legacy of the late Sir William Young, was presented to Bill P Bruce.

The John Miller Perpetual Challenge Trophy was presented to Catherine Marshall for her outstanding contribution to heavy horse showing and breeding.

Catherine attended the Show with her daughter-in-law, grand-daughter and great grand-daughter who attended her first Show at just eight-months old.

Children 15 and under were able to attend the Show for free and over 21,311 children attended over the four days.

‘This year we have seen the show return in all its glory, and it has been a true delight to see generations from across the agricultural community come together to celebrate their great achievements, learnings, stories and make new memories, just as it has been to see visitors and families enjoy all that the Show has to offer,’ said David Tennant, Head of Show for RHASS.

‘It’s great to see the ticketing strategy that was implemented in 2022 in its third year produce a record £3.3million gross ticket return. With more tickets available to the general public than ever, it’s fantastic to see the demand has been met with strong ticket sales.

‘I’d like to thank everyone for playing their part, from our members, exhibitors and competitors to our staff and members of the public, for helping to make the 2024 Royal Highland Show a truly unforgettable event.’

Super early-bird tickets for the 2025 Show are now on-sale now.

Read more Culture stories here.

Subscribe to read the latest issue of Scottish Field.