The Great Yorkshire Show

The Great Yorkshire Show is England’s premier agricultural event, held every July in Harrogate and celebrating the very best of British farming, food, and countryside life. From prize-winning livestock to modern innovation, it’s a four-day showcase of tradition, progress, and unmistakable Yorkshire pride.

What is the Great Yorkshire Show?

The Great Yorkshire Show is England’s premier agricultural event, held every July in Harrogate. It’s a proper celebration of British farming, food, and countryside life – from prize-winning livestock and cutting-edge machinery to local produce, celebrity chefs, fashion, and family entertainment.

Running across four busy days, the show attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year and is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS). It offers a full picture of modern rural life: traditional values, practical innovation, and plenty of Yorkshire pride.

A bit of history

The show first took place in 1838, originally known simply as the Yorkshire Show, with the aim of promoting farming and agricultural improvement. The word “Great” was added in 1843, reflecting its growing scale and importance and it’s stuck ever since.

Despite interruptions during the First and Second World Wars, the show continued to evolve and earned its place as England’s largest agricultural show. One notable moment came in 1861, when Queen Victoria paid a visit not bad going.

In 1950, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society purchased a 200-acre site in Harrogate, giving the show a permanent home after more than a century of moving around the county.

The first Great Yorkshire Show on the new site took place in 1951, making it the first show in the UK to have its own dedicated venue. Since then, the grounds and the show itself have only grown, hosting more events and welcoming more visitors year after year.