The Great Yorkshire Show (GYS) is an agricultural show which takes place on the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, North Yorkshire in the North of England annually from the second Tuesday of July until the following Thursday. It is organised and run by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS). Since the demise of the Royal Show the GYS has been the largest agricultural show in England, however within the UK it is surpassed by both the Royal Welsh Show and the Royal Highland Show.
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The history of the GYS is intimately connected with that of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS). At its foundation in 1837, the primary aim of the YAS was stated as "... to hold an Annual Meeting for the Exhibition of Farming Stock, Implements &c., and for the General Promotion of Agriculture."[1]
The first YAS Show was held in 1838 in the Barrack Yard at Fulford, near York. Though the numbers attending were not recorded the event was counted a success; police had to use their truncheons to restore order among the large numbers of visitors when they began to force their way in without paying.[2]
Originally intended as a peripatetic event, the Show moved to Leeds, Northallerton and Hull in subsequent years, before returning to York in 1842. This is the first year for which attendance figures are available — the Show in 1842 had a paid attendance of 6,044.[3] By 1843 the YAS Show had become known as the "Great Yorkshire Show", apparently by popular acclamation rather than in any official sense.[4]
The GYS continued to be held in various places around Yorkshire until 1950. No GYS was held between 1915-1919 due to World War I while the 1920 GYS was held jointly with the RASE in Darlington. Shows between 1940-1948 were cancelled due to World War II. By 1948 the YAS was coming to the conclusion that the expenses involved in setting up a new showground every year were becoming prohibitive,[5] and in 1949 it was decided that a permanent showground be acquired. In 1950 the last of the peripatetic shows was held in Malton.
In 1950 the YAS purchased a site at Hook Oval in Harrogate for the sum of £16,500, and since 1951 this has been the permanent site for the GYS. In 1951 the attendance figure was nearly 54,000.
The 2001 GYS was cancelled due to the outbreak of Foot and mouth disease in Britain.
The 2006 show has been the most successful so far in terms of attendance figures, [3] with 135,111 visitors. The 2011 show came close to the record with 135,086 visitors. [6]
The 2008 show was attended by the Queen to celebrate its 150th anniversary.[7]
The Great Yorkshire Showground is situated off Railway Road, on the outskirts of Harrogate. The site is 250 acres (100 ha) in area, and consists mainly of grassland with several permanent structures. These include
The showground facilities are used all the year round for various functions and events ranging from the Great Yorkshire Show itself to antiques fairs, trade shows, business conferences and wedding receptions. It is estimated that some 1 million people visit the showground per year.