Royal Highland Show: What is new at the Royal Highland Show in 2023? What are the highlights for each day at Ingliston?

Here are some of the new faces appearing at this year’s Royal Highland Show, including a Tesla stand and The Chocolate Tree.

There are more than 800 businesses at this year’s Royal Highland Show selling everything from agricultural machinery, clothing and motor vehicles to Scottish food and drink products. Here is what’s new to this show in 2023:

What new events are taking part at the show this year?

The Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing and Woolhandling Championships

Competitors from 30 countries from around the world, including New Zealand, South Africa and Chile, will compete to claim this international championship title.

It has been 20 years since the event has been at the show.

Back for 2023, juniors, young farmers and seniors will be competing at the showground on the Saturday and Sunday of the show.

Royal Highland Show: What is it? Where is it? How can I get tickets?

Some new faces will be appearing at this year's Royal Highland Show (pic: RHASS)

‘Flock to the Show’ display

This will be a display of 38 hand-painted fibreglass sheep which have been on display around Scotland over the past couple of months. The sheep sculptures, each telling an important story on rural life, will be exhibited in the form of a trail starting at the Macklin Motors stand in the Lifestyle Area.

There will be clues on each to help visitors find them all around the showground. Once a participant know the “winning phrase” from the clues, they can enter the competition that could see a person win a year’s supply of Taylor’s Crisps.

The colourful flock will be auctioned off in September to raise funds for the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland’s (RHASS) Bicentennial Fund.

The bidding process will be launched at this year’s show. Anyone can register interest in an individual flock member here: royalhighlandshow.org/flock-to-the-show/

Agri Innovation Arena

This is located within the Agricultural Zone and will showcase some of the newest and most innovative products and machinery close up.

There will be live demonstrations and industry talks from leaders across all sectors of the agricultural industry.

Fashion Show

To celebrate the return of Golden Shears, the event will be hosting a fashion show this year, showcasing the very best of wool and its importance to British Fashion in partnership with British Wool, Harris Tweed Herbridies and the Harris Tweed Authority. The event will take place every day at 1.30pm in the Food For Thought Cookery Theatre.

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What new stands will be there this year?

Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla will be running a stall at this year’s show for the first time.

What’s new on the food and drink scene?

In recent years the Royal Highland Show has become almost as famous for promoting food and drink as it is for its livestock.

New stands from the sector this year will include:

Three Robins – fortified oat drink for families

The Chocolate Tree – handmade organic chocolates made in East Lothian

Innis & Gunn – Edinburgh-based beer brand and brewery

And this year the organisers of the show have launched its own special ‘Golden Shears’ lager with Caledonian Brewing. This will be available in bars across the showground.

What will the highlights be each day?

Thursday:

Miniature Shetlands will be in the showground’s Main Ring from 7.30am if you’re up and onsite when gates open at 7am.

The Clydesdale’s will also be showing at 8am (females) and 10am (males) in the Main Ring.

The Scottish Dairy Championships 2023 will take place at 9am at the Food for Thought Cookery & Conference Theatre, which is in the marquee adjacent to the Scotland’s Larder.

In the same venue, Sarah Rankin, Masterchef 2022 finalist, will be giving a cooking demonstration at 12.30pm. She will be back on at 9.30am in the same spot on Saturday.

A “flock to fashion” event run by British Wool will take place from Thursday to Sunday at 1.30pm in the Food for Thought Theatre.

You can watch sheepdog skills with Thomas Longton from Thursday to Sunday at 12.30pm and 4.10pm each day in the Countryside Arena.

The Golden Shears opening ceremony begins at 12pm in the Main Ring.

Chainsaw carving demonstrations will take place from Thursday to Saturday in the Forestry Arena at 9.30am, 12.30pm, 3pm and 5pm and again at 9.30am, 12.30pm and 4pm on Sunday.

The Scottish Axe Throwing competition will also be running Thursday to Saturday at 1.30pm.

Friday:

The Scottish Pole Climbing Championships 2023 will start at 11am on Friday, with the final taking place on Sunday.

The Queen’s Cup – the show’s most prestigious livestock honour – will be presented at 12.30pm in the Main Ring.

The RHS grand livestock parade will take place in the Main Ring at 2.30pm.

If you fancy a bit of music, Glasgow-based Baby Face & The Beltin Boys will be offering authentic americana, swing, rhythm and blues, and country, from 1pm on the West Stage, and again at 3pm.

If you like goats, there will be a dedicated Goat Marquee in the Countryside Area of the showground showing various breeds including the Pygmy and Boer goats at 3pm.

The Scottish Dairy Championships 2023 awards will be presented at 3pm in the Food for Thought Theatre.

A masterclass on Scotch Beef by celebrity chef Kevin Dalgleish will take place in the same venue after at 4pm.

The Fife Ukelele Orchestra will be performing at 5pm on the West Stage.

A Highland pony celebration will take place in the Main Ring at 5.30pm.

Saturday:

The Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing and Woolhandling Championships, which will see 4,000 sheep being sheared, will start from 7am. For more information about the event, head to a programme kiosk on site.

In the Goat Marquee, the Scottish Dairy Goat Show is happening, with judging starting at 8.15am.

In case you missed it on Friday, there is another RHS grand livestock parade at 2.30pm in the Main Ring.

The Farmers Choir will also be performing in the Main Ring after at 3pm.

Sunday:

The Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing and Woolhandling Championships will recommence at 7am.

Britain’s Fittest Farmer will be taking over the Agri Innovation Arena from 10am until 5pm. The event, launched by Farmers Weekly in 2018, aims to get all farmers thinking and talking about their mental and physical health.

Desperados Eagles Tribute will be performing at 3pm on the West Stage.

The finale of the show will take place at the Main Ring at 4.30pm. This will includea salute and performances from the Central Band of the Royal British Legion Scotland and Tattoo Pipers, followed by a lone piper.