Home Away From Home: Its the time of the Year!! EKKAAAAA!!!

One of the Great things about August is EKKA ..

EKKA is a public holiday in Brisbane and it is a great Festival and Event to write down in your calender if you are living, studying or even just visiting Brisbane at the time ..

and in order to enjoy the whole festival you have to free a whold day for it and you will never regret doing that ..

This is my Second Visit to EKKA after last year .. I was lucky to go this year as there will be some major Changes and Developments for EKKA next year .. so I had the chance to enjoy EKKA the same old school way ..

The First time i went to EKKA was with a small group of 5 friends tto start with and another 5 joined me later to enjoy the fireworks at night ..

Back to this year ..

EKKA Started on the 8th and finished on the 19th of August ..
EKKA took place in RNA Showgrounds in Fortitude Valley ..

What is EKKA????

The Ekka is the annual agricultural show of Queensland, Australia. Its formal title is the Royal Queensland Show. It was originally called the Brisbane Exhibition, however it is commonly called the Ekka, which is a shortening of the word exhibition.

The significance of the first exhibition held in 1876 was described by locals as the most important event since Queensland's separation from New South Wales in 1859.

The Origin of 'Ekka'
The first 'Royal' Show was held in 1921, when the Association was granted the prefix under warrant from His Majesty King George V.

Since then, the shortened name "Ekka" has replaced "Exhibition" in the Queensland vernacular, indicating locals' affection for the Show.

Ekka has since been held every year with only two exceptions. In 1919, Brisbane suffered a Spanish influenza epidemic, and in 1942 during wartime the Showgrounds were used as a staging depot for troops moving north.

The modern Ekka
Today, Ekka runs for ten days and attracts about half a million visitors every August. Ekka is famous for its mix of entertainment, agriculture and education. From Champion Rooster of Show to the glamorous fashion parades, Ekka has always celebrated the rural and the urban; the traditional and the innovative, and it's for this reason the event holds a special place in the hearts of Queenslanders - as it has for generations.

Pavilions:

The RNA Showground and EKKA has many many different Pavilions and each of them have different exhibits and activities

The Pavilions are:

1- John Reid Wool Pavilion

2- Home and Outdoor Living

3- Lifestyle and Leisure Pavilion

4- Woolworths Fresh Food Pavilion

5- Triple M Showbag Pavilion

6- Bushman's Trading Post

7- Queensland Government Precinct

Photos from all Around RNA

so Why should You Go to EKKA??

ANIMALS:

About 10,000 animals visit Ekka, including 2,500 dogs, 300 cats, 200 fish, 150 alpacas, and 2,500 cattle.

these Animals will be spread around different Locations in RNA.

1- Animal Boulevard

2- CBeebies Animal Walk

3- Animal Arena

4- Beef Pavilion

5- Horse and Pony Highlights

6- Animal Competitions

FOOD:

Allow your taste buds to revel in the rich flavours of Queensland's best seasonal produce. Seafood fresh from the ocean, crisp vegetables unearthed from the field, and delightful sweets straight from the oven - the menu at this year's Ekka is an invitation to explore sumptuous new flavours and all your Ekka favourites.
Traditional Ekka favourites haven't been forgotten. Time-honoured classics like chocolate-dipped strawberries and fresh scones with jam and cream are still on the menu. And it just wouldn't be Ekka without fairy floss and dagwood dogs!

Food can be found all over the RNA showgrounds .. the main Food Designated areas are:

1- Royal Queensland Steakhouse Restaurant

2- Steakhouse Snackbar

3- Royal Queensland Food & Wine Show Deli

4- Gourmet Harvest

5- Woolworths Fresh Food Pavilion

when it comes to EKKA they try to satisfy every attendee of the Festival by providing:

1- Wine Tasting

2- Fresh and Juicy

3- Premium Coffee

4- Traditional Favourites

5- Cooking Demonstrations

6- Chill Out Zones

RIDES:

no matter how old you are there will be a ride for you at EKKA .. and the best thing is that they are all located in the same area. Last year I didn't go on any Ride but this year I did .. it was a great and Crazy experience ..

CARNIVAL GAMES:

The Carnival Games are located around the Rides in the Showgrounds. many and many prizes to be won there and they change every year .. I played last year and this year and won a couple of prizes there.

SHOWBAGS:

variety of products grouped and sold together in the Show bags Pavilion .. one of the busiest locations around the Showgrounds .. the queue to get inside the Pavilion is always long!.

SHOWS AND PERFORMANCES:

at the heart of the RNA Showgrounds shows and Performances runs all day long from simple animal shows to Car and motorbike shows ..

FIREWORKS:

one of my favorite parts of the EKKA .. and even though its at night but that's another reason to stay longer at EKKA .. this year the Fireworks were amazing and mind blowing .. some of my friends even said that these were the best Fireworks they have seen in Brisbane even though they attended many before.