Updated with 10 top tips, HERE. The Royal Queensland Show, known to all as ‘The Ekka’ is every Country Show bundled together and Ekka 2017 promises to be better than ever! This is the 140th birthday of the Ekka and there are lots of special events planned. During that time, there have only been two cancelled Ekkas. The first cancellation was in 1919 due to the world-wide influenza epidemic, with the second in 1942 during World War II.
Ekka 2017 runs from 11th – 20th August. Economy Traveller will be enjoying the Ekka this year and giving updates during the event.
This is a great opportunity for visitors to Queensland to get a taste of this large State and what it has to offer. There’ll be ten thousand animals to see and over twenty thousand entries have been received for the various competitions.
- There will be the usual Country style activities -Sheep dog trials, Wood chopping and animal competitions – cattle, sheep, dogs and so on.
- There are competitions in baked cakes, photography and fine arts. Kids, big and small, look for their show bags.
- Sideshow Alley is always popular. Ride the ferris wheels, try the dodgem cars or try the games to win prizes.
Ekka 2017 – What’s new this year?
The two big things new this year are:
Two Fireworks Shows each night:
There will be a special early Children’s Fireworks presented by MG Motor at 6pm in addition to the famous night show fireworks finale at 7.40pm.
Half price Twilight Ticket:
Half price twilight tickets will be available from 6pm each night. RNA Chief Executive Brendan Christou explained, citing two of the most popular reasons for people visiting the Ekka:
…. Foodies can come straight from work and enjoy an award-winning meal and quality live entertainment in our food pavilions which will open until late for the first time. Families can come after school for dinner, watch the night show and enjoy a few more hours of fun at sideshow and showbags. Brendan Christou
Buying tickets
The half priced twilight tickets are in addition to existing offers including the two day pass and the popular two-for-one Super Ride Tuesday and Super Food Sunday which deliver the best discounts on offer. For more pricing information and to book your tickets online, find it all at Ekka 2017 tickets. Tickets purchased online are sold at a 15% discount until the eve of the first day of Ekka 2017.
Where to stay?
There are plenty of options for accommodation in and around Brisbane for the duration of the Ekka. You could try AirBnB, or stay with friends.
If you’re looking for hotel / apartment accommodation, the Ekka’s Official Apartment Accommodation Partner, Mantra Group, is offering a number of family and couples accommodation/show packages. They have nine Brisbane properties with a variety of offers available, including:
BreakFree Fortitude Valley is great for families and walking distance from Brisbane Showgrounds. A two bedroom apartments starts at $399 per night This includes
- an Ekka family pass for two adults and two children (5-14 years)
- 250MB of Wi-Fi daily
- secure onsite car parking.
To book, call 132 007 or visit breakfree.com.au.
A Family stay in a two bedroom apartment at Mantra on the Quay starts at $231 per night. (Sunday -Thursday, two night minimum spend of $462) The package includes
- an Ekka family pass for two adults and two children (5-14 years) per stay
- four bottles of mineral water
- 1GB of Wi-Fi access each day
- discounted onsite parking.
Packages for couples start from $169 per night in a deluxe hotel room at Mantra Terrace Hotel. This includes
- two adult passes to the Ekka
- 1GB of Wi-Fi daily and
- two bottles of mineral water.
Mantra on Mary has one bedroom apartments available from $185 per night including two adult tickets to the Ekka.
For bookings at these three properties, call 13 15 17 or visit www.mantra.com.au.
Getting there
Economy Traveller will travel to Brisbane courtesy of Malindo Air, the only airline directly connecting Kuala Lumpur and Brisbane. Once we arrive, we’ll have plenty of options to get to the Ekka.
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