The Royal Darwin Show is happening Thursday 26th, Friday 27th and Saturday 28th of July. Show time can be super exciting for the whole family! There is normally a big “Show” in every capital city and taking your family to a big show can be a bit overwhelming and full of excitement for little ones. We have rounded up some great tips from our members and put them together for you to prepare and have the best day out with your little ones for heading to the Royal Darwin Show!
The Royal Darwin Show will open 9 am to 10 pm each day. If you want to avoid a line up for tickets you can purchase them here . Adults are $20, Children under 5 are FREE, Children 5-14 are $12, or a Family Pass (2 adults and 3 children U14) is $50. Pensioners are $12. Thursdays adult entry before 3pm is only $12. All tickets online incur a $1.99 booking fee.
The Royal Darwin Show takes place at the showgrounds which are located at 1 Tate Place Winnellie. Parking can be quite busy so plan your day and be patient with the crowds.
Some of the highlights of this years show time include:
- Dinkum Dinosaurs – showtimes: 10.30 am, 1 pm and 3.30 pm
- TREX Encounter – 12 pm and 2.30 pm Daily
- First Light Entertainment will be performing stilt walking, fire dancers, ultraviolet light shows and more!
- AMAZING RACING PIGS – Daily morning, afternoon and evening shows
- The Drumming Monkeys They have been regulars at the Darwin show but sadly this will be their last year so do not miss them
Planning ahead of the big day will help your Royal Darwin show time experience go a little more smoothly. Here are our tips and some of the Darwin Family Life Members tips too:
Our Tips for going to the Royal Darwin Show with your family:
1. It is going to be busy and crowded – dress your kids in bright colours (and maybe even same colour) so they are easy to spot in the crowd.
2. Take a photo of your kids on the morning of the show before you leave in case they get lost easier to give description of what they are wearing.
3. Make sure your child knows your actual name and their name, and how old they are – if they do get lost – it can help you be reunited.
4. Write your mobile number on your child’s arm in permanent ink and choose a spot where you will meet if you are separated.
5. Only take the money you plan to spend and do not get anymore out. Let your child decide they want a show bag then take that out and the rest is for drinks/food and rides. Our child is told how much he has and roughly how many rides he can go on.
6. In past we have taken frozen water and sandwich’s as they defrost and are fresh also cooling you down. Leaves more money for rides and treats and yes the all important show bag.
7. Unless you want to watch the fireworks or your kids are older and want to to do evening/nighttime rides, I suggest going on the Thursday arvo. Avoid the major crowds and get all the good stuff before it’s gone. Thursday ticket prices are cheaper for adults before 3 pm too! Normally Thursdays are lots of younger families.
8. Set a limit for your child on the number of rides or games they can play. Have a look around and then let them pick what they would like to do. It can avoid lots of begging and pledding from your kids if they know clearly from the start how many they can have a go on.
9. We always freeze a couple of bottles of water and wrap thin tea towels around them great for a quick cool down on kids faces and arms and legs and water keeps nice and cold
10. The Kidzone is an awesome area to get out of the sun for a bit and let the kids play and be entertained. It will be located in the Mezzanine Ray Foskey Pavilion on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th July. Activities will include face painting, circus skills, colouring, glitter tattoos, kinectic sand, toy play area, balloon twisting and more!
11. There will be lots of live entertainment from Irish Dancers, Drumming monkeys, Belly dancers, Melody Mel, Burning Circus and so much more! Check out the full program here
12. Set a limit for show bags for your kids – we normally get the kids to choose one each – within a certain price range.
13. Do like I do and get the grandparents to take them. (Haha nice idea! 😉
14. Visiting the farm yard animals is always a hit with the younger kids. You can see pigs, sheep, chickens and much more on show and see which ones have won prizes too!
15. Check out the show entries that kids and adults have entered. All kinds of artwork, creations, baked goods and more – it is fun to see all the Royal Darwin show entries.
16. Pack your own snacks (pretzels, popcorn, fruit, muffins sandwiches, drinks etc) This will save you a small fortune on the cost of food at the show. But also it will be healthier options than some of the fried food available.
17. Check out the action on the show fields and show events – there is always something fun happening from horse jumping, dog obedience, cats on display – animals are always a hit with the kids! These are also FREE to do so can entertain the family without having to spend more money.
18. If you child does become lost – one of the best pieces of advice I read in a recent blog was to repeat loudly a description of the child. For example: looking for a little girl who is 3 years old, brown hair and wearing a pink dress. This makes it obvious who you are looking for quickly. Shout it loud and clear and get others around you to help.
19. If your child becomes lost another great idea is for the child to find a Mum with a pram. They are normally a “safe grown up” option for them to get help from.
20. Remember to slip slop slap – and reapply sunscreen during the day and wear hats. Even on our cooler dry season days the sun can burn and dehydration is no fun.
We hope you have lots of fun at the Royal Darwin Show time! We love to see your photos so feel free to share them in our Community Hub Facebook group – join us here if your not a member already.
Connect with Darwin Family Life via Website, Facebook page, Facebook Group and Instagram
