The 143rd Royal Queensland Show, presented by RACQ, attracted more than 340,000 people through the gates over 9 days in August.

RNA Chief Executive Brendan Christou said it was wonderful to reunite the country and the city in a celebration of agriculture for the first time since 2019 because of the pandemic.

“Ekka is a beloved Queensland institution and it has been dearly missed by many,’’ Mr Christou said.

“The Ekka is the largest ticketed event to be held in Queensland since the pandemic and it was wonderful to see us all coming back together again after the challenges of the past two years.”

RACQ Senior Marketing Specialist Helen Innes said the Clubhouse proved as popular as ever, this year featuring a replica of the Mobile Member Centre (MMC) made from 60,000 LEGO bricks.

“The RACQ Clubhouse proved very popular and we had a constant flow of people checking out the LEGO brick MMC and getting a personalised figure,” Ms Innes said.

“Over the nine days, we made more than 8,500 personalised figures, raising more than $17,500 for Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors.”

“RACQ will add $20,000, providing more than $37,500 for Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors and their major conservation project, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital where more than 110,000 native Australian animals have been cared for since opening.”

A portion of the sale of the feed cups at the Animal Nursery will go to the RACQ Foundation.

“It was great to connect with members and the non-members and come together again at Ekka,” Ms Innes said.

“Everyone seemed to be in great spirits and it was a very positive atmosphere throughout the 9 days of the event.”

Mr Christou said visitors celebrated the return of traditional Show favourites, including animals, competitions, world-class entertainment, thrilling rides and the ever-popular showbags.

“It was wonderful to welcome everyone to the Show and to see the smiles on people’s faces again,” he said.

“We had more than 20,000 competition entries across 55 Ekka competitions, competing not just for the coveted blue ribbon but a total competition prize pool of $615,000.

“From champion woodchoppers to eight-year-old quilters to four-year-old horse competitors to 90-year-old bakers, the Ekka truly welcomes all and continues to create those magical memories.”

The Bertie Beetle showbags were the clear Show favourites again with the Bertie Beetle Diamond the most popular. Other best-sellers included Cha Time, Rural Aid, World’s Biggest Jumbo, Minnie Mouse, Frozen, Minecraft, Spiderman, Ninja and My Little Pony showbags.