Budget Hacks for an Affordable Easter Show

Budget Hacks for an Affordable Easter Show

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Posted 2024-03-30 by Jade Jacksonfollow

Fri 22 Mar 2024 - Tue 02 Apr 2024


As a regular showgoer, I often hear non-show attendees complain that it's too expensive and they waste money buying things they don't need. But with a basic awareness of where money goes, you can easily enjoy the Easter Show every year, without starving yourself.

In front of the fruit and vegetable displays in the Woolworths Pavilion you can find cheap fruit and nuts for sale.

Buying your ticket in advance, online and as a family pass if you have kids saves you money before you have even walked up to the gate.

In the weeks leading up to the show, many news and family-based websites offer competitions offering free family passes, so keep an eye out for these and sign up to receive alerts from the Sydney Royal Easter Show .

Once you're in the gates, make sure you grab a show guide + map to help plan your day. Attending the entertainment, shows and talks makes you feel like you're getting more value out of your ticket, rather than just paying to spend money, similar to attending Oz Comic Con. Plus, all the entertainment is free once you're in the show, so you can get away with spending little if you choose.

Is it a steak or is it cake? You be the judge in the Art and Craft Pavilion.

Entertainment Highlights
  • Fruit and vegetable displays, cake designs, art and photography exhibitions are all free to view.
  • The Motocross is in the main stadium at 12:40pm and 8:20pm each day, with the fireworks starting at the end of the evening motocross display.

  • Motorcross riders are always a spectacle in the Main Stadium.

  • Shows in the amphitheatre are often aimed at little kids and it's undercover so offers an opportunity to get out of the sun. This year the Bluey stage show will entertain youngsters and adults alike.
  • The Australian Wildlife shows in the Home and Lifestyle Pavilion provide an opportunity to overcome your fears of snakes, lizards and other Australian creatures in a hands-on experience allowing you to (gently) touch the animals and take plenty of photos.
  • Free massages - You can receive a free 1 minute massage in the World Bazaar Pavilion or 10 minute trial of the massage chairs in the Home and Lifestyle Pavilion.

  • Food samples galore at the Woolworths Pavilion.

    Free and cheap Food
    It's no secret that there are plenty of food samples to try in the Woolworths Pavilion, most of which consist of jerky, spices or cheese, however, if you dig deeper there's also Butter Chicken, Sourdough Bread, Rocky Road Chocolate, yoghurt, tea, Lion's Mane Mushroom Jerky (great for brain health) and my favourite, Spanish Sausages. Two rounds in the Woolworths Pavilion would be enough to fill you up.

    The Woolworths stand offered granola (with nuts), yoghurt with mixed berries and a small glass of mango and apple juice. Hardly worth queuing up for considering the berries I already had in my own freezer at home and the granola contained honey which I'm allergic to.

    At the front of each fruit and vegetable display, each farmer was selling fruit, nuts and jams including freshly cut watermelon, grapes, apples, pears, peanuts, macadamias and more. Great for a cheap snack.



    The Melt Shop (cheese Toasties), (previously $2, now $4) is still reasonably priced but it's tucked away in the showbag pavilion and down amongst the Kids Carnival food stalls. Most proper meals were around the $20-$30 mark, but some of these are big enough that you could share between two, such as the Chicken Schnitzel burger and chips, (located outside the Home and Lifestyle Pavilion).



    The best value dining experience is still the Big Bush BBQ $5 sausage sandwich with sauce and optional onion + a bottle of water, located at the back of the Showgrounds, in front of Schmidt Arena on New England Ave. 100% of proceeds support charity too.



    Lastly, in Mr Alloo's Noodle Market (located on the corner of Grand Parade and Hawkesbury St), there are plenty of cheap eats for $5 including spring rolls, steamed pork buns, or grilled pork on a stick. This area provides more freshly cooked street food style meals and I also ate the Satay Roti Taco with 2 x spring rolls ($19) which was small but it was hot and delicious.

    Cheap asian street food can be found in Mr Alloo's Noodle Market at the Easter Show.

    Showbags
    Inflation has impacted Showbags with fewer selections, fewer inclusions and the margins between Recommended retail value and the selling price have diminished drastically. However, there are still a few bags worth mentioning.

    I've previously written about the Australian Women's Weekly ($22) and Men's Style ($35) as the best value Showbags for adults. Both of these bags sold out on the day I attended.
    My mother still uses the bag from a previous Australian Women's Weekly Showbag from almost 10 years ago! Both of these are full of healthy food and lifestyle products and the Men's Style comes with a quality black felt Fedora Hat, much like the Taylor Swift '22' hat she gave out during her concerts.

    Bertie Beetle ($5) is no longer the cheapest bag, now sharing that title with Cadbury ($5), however, you can buy 5 x Cadbury Showbags for $20 which is a bargain considering the price of chocolate these days.

    Darellea Chocolate Showbags include quality solid blocks of chocolate rather than little tiny bars.

    The Darrelea Showbags offer varying degrees of value with the Block Out ($25) probably the best which includes 3 x Rocklea Roads and 3 x Darrelea Chocolate Blocks.

    The Minnie Mouse ($35) bag is at the higher tier, however, the products are good quality which include slippers, a backpack, a skirt, hair accessories and more. I bought this for my niece 3 years ago and she still uses the bag, skirt and slippers!

    The Batman Show bag hasn't changed much in over 40 years.

    The May Gibbs showbag ($32) would make a great present for friends with kids overseas as it showcases Australian flora and includes useful items; a backpack, cooler lunch bag, plate and bowl set, bucket hat and a bath book plus stickers instead of cheap plastic junk.

    The Easter Show and especially Showbags have always been about trends and many bags have disappeared including Wagon Wheels, Shapes, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Thins, CC's and Doritos but there's one bag that has remained virtually unchanged for over 40 years - The Batman Showbag ($32), some things are just perfect and don't need to change.

    Socks $5 a pair or 6 pairs for $25! One of many bargains found in the World Bazaar Pavilion at the Easter Show.

    In the World Bazaar pavilion, you can find a variety of socks for $5/pair or X for $15 and Mayan Worry Dolls for $4. You tell them your worries, place it under your pillow before you sleep and in the morning, you'll have no worries There's also jewellery starting from $5 if you're after a budget gift or show souvenir.

    Rides
    The last day of the show has 2-for-1 rides if that's your thing and the Kids Carnival has smaller versions of some of the adult rides, which require fewer coupons.

    If you can take a day off work, it helps to beat the crowds, especially early in the morning or late afternoon, but just note that many pavilions close from 7 pm onwards.

    You can easily enjoy the easter show without spending hundreds of dollars, you just need to plan ahead, stick to a budget and know where the bargains are found.

    Learn more and buy your Easter Show tickets online here.

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    281684 - 2024-03-25 21:56:23

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