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There’s a reason people return to the Balmoral Show year after year. After wandering through the livestock arenas, food stalls and buzzing showgrounds of 2026, we completely understand the hype.
From the moment we arrived at the Eikon Exhibition Centre, there was a real energy around the showgrounds. Families carrying trays of food, children racing towards the fairground, country music drifting through the air, tractors the size of houses parked beside beautifully designed garden displays. Everywhere you looked, something was happening.
It didn’t take us long to realise one thing.
You could spend an entire day at the Balmoral Show and still not see everything.
Even if you know absolutely nothing about horses, it was impossible not to stop and admire the showjumping arena.
The atmosphere alone pulled people in.
Crowds gathered around the rails as riders flew over jumps at incredible speed, with a level of skill that genuinely left people speechless.
Once the horses left the arena, the atmosphere shifted completely.
The Bolddog FMX stunt team took over the SPAR Main Arena with motorbikes soaring through the air performing backflips, mid-air tricks and jumps that had the crowd wincing and cheering at the same time.
Photos really do not prepare you for the scale of the farming machinery at Balmoral.
Some tractor tyres were genuinely taller than people. Huge livestock systems, advanced milking technology and machinery we never even knew existed filled entire sections of the showgrounds.
One of the most fascinating things we saw all day?
Sheep hoof washing equipment.
That is the beauty of the Balmoral Show. It gives you a rare chance to see parts of rural life and agriculture that most people would never normally experience firsthand.
Have you ever watched sheep shearing properly before? Neither had we.
Within minutes, huge crowds had gathered around the demonstrations, all watching in disbelief as shearers somehow transformed extremely fluffy sheep into completely different animals in what felt like seconds.
At one point, the crowd cheered on a local shearer working his way through 13 sheep in just over 10 minutes.
It was equal parts impressive, chaotic and slightly stressful to watch.
Everywhere you walked, there was music playing.
Country songs echoed across the showgrounds all day, adding to the atmosphere and making everything feel even more lively.
Perhaps the biggest crowd-pleasers of all were the dancing grannies, who seemed to appear out of nowhere blasting music like Pump Up the Jam while gliding through the crowds on what looked like mobility shopping trolleys… which we later realised were somehow actually Segways in disguise.
To this moment, we still have absolutely no idea how they worked.
They brought brilliant energy everywhere they went and even made an appearance on the Tobermore stand.
The family entertainment areas were packed from morning onwards too, with excited fans queueing to meet Marty Mone for photos and signatures.
Saturday’s weather certainly tried its best to dampen the atmosphere, but the Rock Choir carried on performing through the rain with huge smiles and plenty of applause from the crowds gathered around them.
The funfair was far bigger than we expected too. Dodgems, rollercoasters, a giant wheel and a Grease-style funhouse stretched across a huge section of the site.
Looking out across the entire showgrounds from the top of the wheel really showed just how enormous the Balmoral Show actually is.
No Balmoral Show recap would be complete without mentioning the food.
Honestly, we are still thinking about some of it.
Alongside what felt like industrial quantities of coffee consumed over four very long days, our team somehow managed to work our way through brisket fries, salt and chilli chicken, burgers, baked potatoes, pizza, crepes, fresh fruit tubs, crumble pots, giant meringues and more traybakes than we should probably admit to.
The food halls and outdoor stalls were packed from morning to evening, with queues forming almost everywhere you looked.
Perhaps the real winners of the week though?
The free cocktail sausages from Hafners.
At one point, we are fairly certain members of the Tobermore team were actively planning their routes around the showgrounds based on when they could “accidentally” pass the stand again.
Completely understandable, to be fair.
One thing that really stood out this year was just how much interest there is now around outdoor living and garden transformation.
Everywhere we turned, people gathered around planting displays, outdoor seating areas, water features and garden inspiration spaces looking for ideas they could recreate at home.
On the Tobermore stand, one of the biggest talking points throughout the week was retaining walls and garden zoning. Homeowners were especially interested in ways to create different levels, define spaces and add more structure to their gardens without losing that relaxed, welcoming feel.
One conversation we heard again and again from homeowners was this:
“I just do not know where to start.”
Honestly, it’s easy to see why.
When you are planning an outdoor space, there are so many decisions to make. Paving styles, layouts, colours, planting, budgets and features. It can quickly start to feel overwhelming.
That is exactly why services like Tobermore’s FREE Home Consultation are proving so valuable for homeowners. Being able to speak with someone, explore ideas, compare products, see samples in person and get expert guidance makes the entire process feel far simpler and far less overwhelming.
The stand itself also became a surprisingly calm little corner of the showgrounds.
Visitors regularly stopped to rest beside the water feature, chat with the team and take a breather from the crowds. Children naturally gravitated towards the Mayfair stepping stones and planting displays too, turning parts of the stand into little exploration spots throughout the week.
It turned out we were not the only ones who felt that way.
On the second day of the show, the UTV at the Show team approached us looking for somewhere to film an interview with Royal Ulster Agricultural Society President, David Cunningham. They described the Tobermore stand as “the loveliest spot for an interview.”
It summed up exactly the kind of atmosphere the space created throughout the week.
Outdoor saunas also seemed to be everywhere this year too. It definitely felt like one of the biggest garden trends people were talking about.
Of course, there was one unexpected star of the stand that nobody could ignore.
The 1997 Mazda MX-5 Mk1.
From the moment the show opened, people constantly stopped to admire it, photograph it and chat about it.
A huge thanks goes to Tobermore team member Adam Bigger for lending us his pride and joy for the week. After the amount of attention it received, we did joke he could probably have sold it before the show was over.
What makes the Balmoral Show so special is that it brings together so many different worlds in one place.
Agriculture, food, family days out, outdoor living, machinery, music, shopping, design inspiration and local businesses all somehow sit side-by-side and it works.
For us, one of the best parts of the week was simply getting to chat with so many homeowners face-to-face. Hearing what people are planning for their gardens, what they are struggling with, and what excites them about outdoor spaces gave us plenty of inspiration to take away.
After four very busy days, sore feet and probably more sweet treats than we should admit to, we completely understand why so many people return to Balmoral year after year.
We visit and tour your outdoor space together, offer advice on bespoke garden and driveway design – and provide estimated costs so you can plan confidently.
Expert paving guidance. On your doorstep.
The details you share help us prepare for your home consultation- ensuring our Tobermore representative arrives with the right advice, product options, and inspiration for your space.
