The finale fireworks of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, 2025, have burned out after brightening the city’s skies, and now the countdown has already begun for next year’s event.
With 850,000 attendees and more than $66 million worth of media coverage, the Royal Easter Show is one Australia’s largest annual ticketed events.
“The Show is massive. It’s not until you’re out here on site that the scale really hits you,” says Paul Bowd, Head of Commercial at the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS), the not-for-profit behind the Show.
Paul Bowd
Bowd and his team tailor opportunities for brands of all sizes to sponsor, exhibit and advertise.
In his ten years at the RAS, he’s overseen a wide range of partnerships, from naming rights for pavilions like the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome and Ugly Fish Woodchop Stadium, to branded activations like the KIIS Eye and Max drone show, Aussie Broadband volunteers, ADVANCE™ Sydney Royal Dog Show, Wrangler Federation Rodeo Challenge and Elders Sydney Royal Beef Cattle Show.
“It might be clichéd to say ‘bespoke’, but that’s absolutely what we create. Everyone, from legacy brands to start-ups, are all here for different reasons. It really is a blank canvas,” Bowd says.
KIIS Eye at Sydney Royal Easter Show.
‘This year’s attendance was enough to fill Accor Stadium 10 times.’
For 12 days over the Easter holidays, Sydney Showground becomes its own city.
This year’s attendance was enough to fill Accor Stadium 10 times. The Show also draws attention from Australia’s leaders, with this year’s visitors including the Governor General, NSW Governor, Premier, and both the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, who were on their campaign trails.
Showgoers represent a true cross-section of Australia. This year, audiences came from all regions and age groups to enjoy world-class entertainment, 1.7 million ride experiences, 13,000 animals across 400 breeds, and more than 16,000 awards.
And, of course, 150,000 chips on a stick.
The Show’s digital and media reach is equally vast, with 9 million website views and 26 million organic social impressions. “We monitor these statistics across all channels, it’s all measurable,” Bowd says.
Woolworths at the Royal Easter Show
The rich heritage and sheer scale of the Show makes it a prized means of communication utilised by some of the country’s biggest and best-known brands.
Woolworths, for instance, has been partnering with the Show for the past 50 years and is the Show’s Grand Champion sponsor.
Over at the Wrangler Federation Rodeo, Thomas Cook’s Managing Director Murray Cook explains that it’s the third year Wrangler have been Show sponsors: “We’ve signed up for another three because the RAS are great partners to work with,” he says.
Wrangler Federation Rodeo at the Royal Easter Show.
The RAS, founded in 1822, has long supported Australian agriculture and rural communities. The Show is a beloved family tradition and a place where brands can launch and grow.
Destined to achieve what can only be described as a ‘cult status’, Nestlé’s Milo was first introduced to the public at a Sydney Royal Easter Show stand in 1934.
Nearly a century later, the Show remains a prime venue for product launches, sampling, brand building, customer engagement, and lead generation.
‘If you’re a small business. Try out the Easter Show, it’s amazing’
Dani Wehbe and Youi Tabbiche, founders of ecommerce brand Ailia Bottle, say meeting customers in person was invaluable.
“It’s not just about the products, it’s us as people, and the information we can give them,” Wehbe says.
To encourage new exhibitors, small business areas with reduced-size stands were introduced three years ago. Since then, 140 new exhibitors have taken up the first-year offer. Nearly a fifth returned the following year with larger footprints.
“This is my first year at the Sydney Royal Easter Show,” says Ice Glow founder Donna Fahandezh from Fashion & Style Pavilion. “I only launched my business about a year and a half ago, this is my first ever pop-up.
“On the first day, I was on the phone to my suppliers all morning, saying ‘This is the last of my stock left, and I still have seven more days to go.’ So, I really recommend it. If you’re a small business out there, come to the Easter Show. Try it out, it’s absolutely amazing.”
The 2026 Show will run from 2 to 13 April, coinciding with school holidays.
Bowd says his team is already looking forward to working with new and returning brands.
To hear more from Show partners, or to find out how your company can get involved, visit here.