The 149th Shepparton Agricultural Show has been hailed a success, with sunny weather, free entry for children and a full program keeping visitors entertained across two days.

Attendance on October 10 and 11 was strong, with families enjoying everything from classic attractions to new crowd favourites.

The dodgem cars and Glow Roller Skating proved standout hits, while traditional favourites such as jumping castles and camel rides remained as popular as ever.

For the youngest visitors, the Animal Nursery, children’s pavilion, face painting and hair braiding kept excitement levels high throughout the weekend.

Show president Kevin Winch said the event continued to thrive thanks to the community’s enthusiasm and family focus.

“This whole show is for the kids,” Mr Winch said.

“It’s not for adults that have done it 20 or 100 times — it’s all about parents getting their kids involved and even the grandparents coming along, making memories.”

Friday at noon saw the crowning of Miss and Master Tiny Tots, with four proud entrants — and nobody leaving without a badge.

Show-goer Rachel McDougall, who recently moved back to Shepparton, said attending the show brought back fond memories.

“I’d been to the show many times as a child and teenager, now, being an adult, it just brings back all the nostalgia,” she said.

While last year saw a record-breaking attendance, Mr Winch said this year’s turnout remained remarkably strong.

“It was a little bit less than last year, but not significant to even consider as a thing,” he said.

“If you look at the graph, it’s still going up — we’re definitely just cruising along and building it up for next year.”

The fireworks display, which lit up the sky for 13 minutes on Saturday night, drew a huge crowd and provided a spectacular send-off to the weekend’s festivities.

Mr Winch said the show’s strength was in its diversity and community spirit.

“The crowd is a very diverse crowd,” he said.

“Even some of the ‘showies’ and stallholders who travel around a lot say we have the most culturally diverse crowd they’ve ever come across in the country. It’s a good weekend for everyone.”

This year also marked the first-ever dog jumping competition, which Mr Winch said the committee was keen to grow.

“We really want to push that and encourage people to bring their puppies out and let them have a run — we’ve invested a lot in the equipment for it,” he said.

With excitement already building for the 150th anniversary event, Mr Winch said the committee was eager to deliver something truly special.

“Next year, we want bigger and better fireworks and to try and get the steam train up to make a bit of noise near the showgrounds,” he said.

“Our intention is to have the biggest and best show for the 150th that we’ve ever had.”

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Thursday, 7th October 2027

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