Get ready South Australia, it’s almost show time! Starting to think about heading to the Royal Adelaide Show? We’ve all the tips and tricks you need to make it your very best – and most affordable experience ever.
Keep on reading for our guide to the Royal Show on a Budget and you can not only save money on your family’s day at the Royal Adelaide Show but you can also WIN your favourite showbag in our Great Showbag Giveaway!
From 1-10 September 2017, half a million people will stream to Wayville Showgrounds to enjoy the fun of the fair. For many, it’s an annual pilgrimage of equal parts youthful excitement and childhood nostalgia.
ROYAL ADELAIDE SHOW FAST FACTS:
- Friday 1 September to Sunday 10 September 2017
- The Royal Adelaide Show opens at 9am every day.
- Carnival attractions operate until 10pm or later every night depending on weather conditions, except Sunday 10 September when they will close at 9.30pm.
- On average, 1/3 of SA’s population visit the Royal Adelaide Show, making it SA’s largest event.
- The Royal Adelaide Show generates a gross economic contribution of more than $183.7 million.
- The poultry at the Show lay over 3,000 eggs over the 10 days of the Show. These are all donated to the Salvation Army for families in need.
- Over 700 animals are paraded in the Grand Parade.
Everyone loves the show but without a watchful eye on your purse, it can be a very pricey day. Mum Central has compiled our expert list so you can have a whole-lot-of-fun, without the hole-in-the-budget.
TIP 1: Bring Your Own Food & Drinks
Every year nearly 35,000 coffees, 70,000 buckets of hot chips, 9,000 milk shakes and over 12,000 doughnuts are enthusiastically devoured at the show. Aside from indigestion, show food is also painfully expensive. Save a stack by bringing your food, snacks and drinks from home. If you know the kids will desperately want to have a treat, save an ice cream, hot chips or other indulgence for the end of the day!
TIP 2: Grab some FREE Goodies and a FREE Locker thanks to BankSA
Every Saturday and Sunday from 12noon – 4pm, Piping Shrike’s Helpers will be roaming the show handing out sunglasses, sunscreen and mini fans to BankSA customers.
PLUS, if you’re a BankSA customer, they’ve got 48 FREE lockers up for grabs each day at the BankSA Farmyard Nursery. First in best dressed, so get in early!
TIP 3: Avoid the Showbag Pavilion Altogether – or Set a Firm Budget
If your children are small enough to have not clued into the plastic-fantastic joy that is showbags – lucky you! Keep on walking and avoid the pavilion (and cost!) altogether. If you know you’ll struggle to avoid it, the best way to handle showbags is to give each child an allocated budget. Set the expectation before show day and let them enjoy the experience to a budget you can afford!
TIP 4: Take Advantage of All the Free Activities
The Royal Adelaide Show offers stacks of no-cost, family-friendly activities. In fact, there’s actually over 100 totally free things you can enjoy! Grab the program before you leave and consult the website to see everything that is on offer. Plan your day so it’s jam-packed and you don’t miss a thing. There are hot live shows including Paw Patrol, Ninja Turtles and the famous Street Parade. There’s also wood-chopping, cooking, music, fireworks, animal judging, pig racing, the BankSA Farmyard Nursery and much, much more.
TIP 5: Collect #ALL the Samples
If you’re a show rookie you might not know this but there’s lots of free samples, stickers, balloons and brochures to be collected at the show. You might question what you needed it all for once you get home but (spoiler) the kids LOVE this stuff. Detour past the IGA Taste SA Pavilion twice if you need to, there are lots of delicious morsels to be enjoyed. Let’s be frank, everyone loves a freebie!
TIP 6: Grab Some BankSA Discounted Ride Coupons!
Ride coupons are available from Ticketek, www.theshow.com.au, IGA or Foodland for use on ANY DAY for all carnival rides. Pre-purchase $40 worth of ride coupons for $35 or $100 worth of ride coupons for $80.
TIP 7: Leave the Car at Home and Take Public Transport
Ditch the car, parking costs and petrol and enjoy easy access via the Adelaide Showgrounds Train Station. With over 30 bus, train and tram stops within walking distance of the Adelaide Showground, including a dedicated bus interchange and railway station, there are plenty of Adelaide Metro services available for your Show travel needs.
NOTE: Kids under five travel free at all times when accompanied by a fare paying adult. Two kids under 15 travel free on weekends when accompanied by an adult using a Daytrip ticket, and seniors can travel free of charge at most times during the week and at all times on weekends.
If you did want to bring the car, casual parking is available in Leader Street, Rose Terrace and Cooke Terrace for $20 all day or $10 after 6pm. Alternatively, the Adelaide Parklands parking is available off Greenhill Rd & Anzac Highway for $13 per day.
TIP 8: Pre-Purchase Tickets or Show Memberships for Cheaper Entry
- Pre-purchase your tickets at Ticketek / IGA/ Foodland and save $$ on purchasing at the gate.
- RAA Members Save $10 off a Family Pass when purchased via RAA website or flash their RAA membership card at the gate.
- If you attend the Show you can purchase a $10 personalised return ticket AT THE SHOW and return on another day.
- Adults can save $6 and enter for just $16 on Bargain Days (Enter before 1pm, Wed 7 & Thurs 8 September)
TIP 9: Visit After Work/Evening for Cheaper Entry
Enter the Show for $12 at the gate after 6pm on Monday 4 to Friday 8 September ONLY with a voucher from The Advertiser. The voucher will be in The Advertiser every day of that week. There is a limit to one voucher per admission ticket.
TIP 10: Family Value Packs will Save you a Packet
For just $149 you’ll get the family through the gates with entry for a family of 4 people (2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children), food & drinks for 4 people, 2 Showbag vouchers, $40 of BankSA Ride coupons and Parking at the Netball SA car park, Mile End. If your family spans more than 4, extra children’s tickets are $47 and you can buy up to 3 additional Child Value Packs. We think they’re pretty clever and have used them in the past and the kids loved them. A bit of everything without blowing the bank!
You can pre-purchase your Family Value Packs from IGA/ Foodland supermarkets and Ticketek (www.ticketek.com.au) or www.theshow.com.au up to and including the duration of the Show.
From us to you, here’s to a great day at the Royal Adelaide Show! Have a ball, soak every glorious sight, sound and smell, live in the moment and don’t forget the camera! These memories are priceless Mumma!
Thanks to our friends at BankSA, we’ve scoured the showbag hall and come up with 10 of the hottest showbags this year, and we’re putting them up for grabs to our loyal readers!
Up for grabs we have:
- Peppa Pig
- Paw Patrol
- Thomas
- TMNT
- Dr Seuss
- Bertie Beetle
- Emoji Movie
- Cadburys
- Shopkins
- Pokemon
To enter, simply complete the entry form below in full, nominate the bag you’d like to win and you’re in with a chance. Remember, the more times you share the more chances you have to win!
WIN 1 of 8 Amazing Showbags in our Great Showbag Giveaway
This is a sponsored post for BankSA.
