When the gates of the Brisbane Showgrounds swing open on Saturday, 7 August 2026, more than 400,000 Queenslanders are expected to pour through them over nine days — marking a milestone that no other event on the state's calendar can match. The Royal Queensland Show, affectionately known as the Ekka, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, having first been held in 1876, and the scale of this year's celebration reflects every decade of that history.

Among those filing through the gates will be television presenter Samantha Heathwood, who has attended every single Ekka since her parents drove her down from Toowoomba for the very first time when she was six years old — a tradition she has never once broken.

A $180 Million Event That Brings the Country to the City

The Royal Queensland Show has long held a special place in Queensland's cultural identity, serving as the annual moment when the state's agricultural heartland moves — temporarily but spectacularly — into its capital city. This year's milestone edition is forecast to inject more than $180 million into the local economy while supporting around 2,000 jobs.

The nickname "Ekka" is itself a piece of Queensland vernacular history, derived simply from "Exhibition" — a word that has been worn smooth by generations of use until only the affectionate abbreviation remained.

Across 20 pavilions and precincts, visitors this year will find:

  • More than 300 free attractions
  • 210 hours of live music
  • 83 rides and games
  • 356 showbags, including 93 brand-new additions
  • A nightly fireworks spectacular powered by 3.5 tonnes of pyrotechnics

For Heathwood, those headline acts are deeply personal. "Dodgems, baby animals, showbags, sundaes and fireworks — they're the staples that keep us coming back," she said. Her family's strategy hasn't changed much over the years either: arrive early to make the most of half-price rides in the first hour, then work through the checklist of Ekka essentials.

Food, Glorious Food — Led by the Iconic Strawberry Sundae

If there is a single item that defines the Ekka experience for most Queenslanders, it is the famous strawberry sundae. Around 180,000 of them are expected to be served across the nine-day event — a figure that speaks to the dessert's almost totemic status in the show's culture.

For Heathwood, sharing one with her own children carried special weight. "Taking my kids for the first time — being able to share the joy with them and an iconic Ekka strawberry sundae — is something I'll never forget," she said.

The strawberry sundae is far from the only food story at the showgrounds, however. Last year's figures give a sense of the appetite showgoers bring with them: more than 150,000 Dagwood Dogs were consumed, along with 37,000 cheese toasties, 8,750 award-winning steaks, 25,000 beers, 41,000 cans of rum and 39,000 glasses of wine.

Heathwood recalled the specific joy of her very first visit — the face paint, the first showbag, the deliberate choice to stick to the little cars rather than brave the bigger rides. "Mum and Dad — we drove down from Toowoomba especially for it. I remember getting my face painted and my first showbag. I was too scared to go on a big ride but I did love driving the little cars," she said.

Agriculture at the Heart of the Royal Queensland Show

Beneath the showbags, the rides and the sundaes lies the reason the Royal Queensland Show exists in the first place: agriculture. The 150th edition will see more than 10,000 animals brought to the showgrounds, including 1,498 head of beef cattle.

Competition is a serious business at the Ekka. This year, 21,500 entries across 58 competitions will be assessed by 758 judges and stewards, with more than $759,000 in prize money on the line. For competitors, the show represents the ultimate stage — the endpoint of a journey that begins at local and regional shows across Queensland.

"The Ekka is literally the cream of the Queensland crop," Heathwood said. "It's the pinnacle for all the winners from shows across the state who come to Brisbane to exhibit and hopefully win the ultimate crown."

That dual identity — part agricultural showcase, part community celebration — is precisely what has sustained the event for a century and a half. "The Ekka is a celebration of all things Queensland — the produce, the animals, the food, the baking and especially the people," Heathwood said. "We are such a diverse state, and the Ekka brings everything together in a wonderful kaleidoscope of colour and fun."

What to Expect When the Gates Open

The 2026 Royal Queensland Show runs for nine days from Saturday, 7 August, at the Brisbane Showgrounds. With 150 years of history behind it and hundreds of thousands of visitors expected in front of it, the Ekka enters its milestone year as arguably the most enduring community event on the Queensland calendar — one that continues to balance deep agricultural roots with the kind of colour, noise and shared memory that brings families back, generation after generation.