Great Yorkshire Show Harrogate 2026 photos

31 Aug

Exhibitor with a great big bull during the cattle showing at the Great Yorkshire Show 2026 in Harrogate.

I’ve finally been to the Great Yorkshire Show. Despite growing up not far from the showground, I’ve never actually been. To me it was always the week that everyone walked to work or school as it clogs up the roads for miles. I’ve been in the showground itself plenty of times, either just walking through or seeing other smaller shows and whatnot. We even used to do cross country running at school around the edge of the showground.

I was determined to get there this year as part of my Alec Soth/Martin Parr style odyssey around North Yorkshire country fairs and shows, and managed to get press tickets.

Cows

Three people with a prize winning cow at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Beef shorthorn judging at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Hereford Cow judging at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Man holding a cleaning bucket and brushes after giving a cow a scrub before the start of a competition at the Great York Show.

Exhibitors getting ready to show their cow in competition at the Great Yorkshire Show 2026.

Exhibitor with cow during judging at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Cows getting jet washed at the Great Yorkshire Show.

Exhibitor with Hereford cow during judging Great Yorkshire Show.

Exhibitor giving his shorthorn cow last comb before competition.

Brown and white hair of cow at Great Yorkshire Show.

A Gentleman of the Press (that’s me)

I’ve not been in a working press office for at least a decade so it was nice to go to the GYS Showgrounds and hang around there in break times and to have a nice sit down. The GYS ones are little huts off to the side, everyone is very nice and there’s lots of people bustling in and out on jobs. Some tv crews and the older press teams having a good chat and a tea in between the next bits of whatever they were doing. Plus there was the odd independent like me wandering in to charge batteries and have a break from the sun.

Pigs

Best times to go to the Great Yorkshire Show

I would definitely aim to go earlier in the week. When I went on the last day on the Friday, everyone at the stalls just looked knackered, not necessarily grumpy but everyone just looked talked out and done with it. I talked to one vet and she was definitely struggling to get the words out. So earlier in the week and get there dead early (and be surprised there’s already thousands of people there because farmers get up early).