Now in its 182nd year, the Suffolk Show showcases the very best that our county has to offer and this year is set to be bigger and better than ever before.
The two-day farming event is staged by the Suffolk Agricultural Association at its home at Trinity Park in Ipswich, and will take place on May 29 and 30.
Although it is known as an agricultural and farming show, the event includes much more than just traditional farming activities and displays, with shopping, eating, entertainment, sporting activities and interior design also taking centre stage.
The site will be split up into different sections for the event, with a sports village, a food and drink area, a flower and garden experience, a lifestyle pavilion and a high end shopping spot to name but a few attractions.
In the Grand Ring and the side display rings, a full programme of events will run. Among others the Broke FMX freestyle motocross display team will be showing off their daring stunts and the 23rd Engineer Regiment from Rock Barracks, near Woodbridge, will be sending two teams to compete in constructing a temporary bridge.
Other entertainment is set to take place around the site and includes the likes of Titan the dancing robot, The Jitterbug Dancers, a Caribbean steel band and The Military Wives Choir from Wattisham.
For those who are interested in the agricultural side of the event, Trinity Park will be filled with thousands of animals - from tiny fluffy ducklings and rabbits to goats, sheep, heavy horses, prize-winning cows and bulls, sheepdogs at work, racing pigs and the champions of their breeds. There will be more than 375 competitive classes for farm livestock, including nearly 30 breeds of cattle and a similar variety of sheep, with the Southdown Sheep Society holding its annual breed show.
There are 326 equine and farriery classes to enter, with seven show jumping classes totalling about £20,000 in prize money. And there will also be both pedigree and commercial classes for pigs, with the commercial classes to be followed by a sale, giving members of the public the chance to bid for a pig to be butchered for the freezer.
Key attractions include:
Farminanglia: This area of the site will demonstrate the role that sheep play in the county. Suffolk New College students will demonstrate the use of wool on a warp and weaving and there will be butchery demonstrations and a chance for families to cook a lamb recipe together.
An ice-skating rink: This year, as part of their stand, home department store Glasswells is introducing an ice-skating rink and encouraging visitors to get their skates on. All profits will go to St Elizabeth Hospice.
A military village: The military village will feature a number of static exhibits, including an apache helicopter from Wattisham and a pop-up demonstration military hospital exhibit from the USAF bases at Lakenheath and Mildenhall.
Fifth Avenue: As the place for fashionistas, Fifth Avenue is a high-end fashion village which was first introduced in 2012. As well as representation from a wide range of local boutiques, a Pimms tent will also be there this year.
The Equine Village: This year the equine village will be extended to feature a new horse demonstration ring and there will also be a new exhibit showcasing different equine breeds.
Farriery demonstrations will also take place in the newly extended farriery building and over 120 rounds of shoeing are expected to be completed over the duration of the show.
The Adnams Food and Drink Experience and the Greene King Eat Street area: If you’re interested in food and drink you won’t be disappointed as the Suffolk Show will again bring a touch of “café culture” to the showground in the Eat Street area.
The main food hall is also a real haven for foodies. This year there will be more than 70 stands offering visitors the chance to buy and try local food and drink.
A Family Health Trail: Healthy Ambitions Suffolk has created a fun interactive health trail for visitors to orientate around the site, where they can stop in at key villages to undertake an activity and receive a sheep stamp on a collecting card.
Sports village: The Suffolk Sports Village will give visitors the chance to try more than 40 different sports, including gymnastics, archery, netball, tennis, cycling and judo. Optua and the Suffolk Disability Sports Academy will also be on hand to provide information for those with disabilities.
The Flower and Garden Experience: Sponsored by Suffolk New College, this part of the Suffolk Show is dedicated to all things green fingered. Seed company Thompson & Morgan will create a display of vegetables grown from its own seeds, there will be an increased line-up of local growers and suppliers of plants and shrubs. The Newmarket Experience: This new attraction draws together every element of the racing world. The pop-up Travelling Paddock comprises two race horse simulators as well as a display from the National Horseracing Museum including silks that visitors can try on and interactive heritage displays.
For more information visit our Suffolk Show page - click on the link to the left of this page.
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