Royal Welsh Show fears school term clash will hit attendance

A clash of dates between the Royal Welsh Show and the 2027 summer school term in Wales have sparked concern it will risk limiting attendance at the country’s biggest agricultural event.

Previous proposals to change the school term dates in Wales, which would reportedly cost the Royal Welsh Show more than £1m in lost revenue, were quashed last year.

While term dates for this year and next year do not encroach on the annual event, dates for 2027 have sparked outrage once more.

See also: Royal Welsh Show to suffer £1m loss if school terms change

The Welsh Conservatives have criticised Labour’s latest school term date update, which potentially restricts attendance at the Royal Welsh Show for schools – and consequently pupils and families outside the Powys area.

The summer term for 2026-27 is set to end on 20 July 2027, two days into the show’s traditional dates.

“The Welsh government cannot ignore the opposition from every teachers’ union, as well as the farming, tourism and business sectors,” said Welsh Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for education, Natasha Asghar.

She said a rethink about the dates was needed, and urged the scrapping of the school holiday reform.  

A spokesperson for the Royal Welsh Show told Farmers Weekly that they are strongly opposed to schools in Wales being open during Show week. 

“While we welcome the decision for schools in Powys to close the week before, it’s vital to recognise that the Royal Welsh Show is a national event, not just a local one. Its significance to Welsh culture, education, and rural life must be protected,” a spokesman said.

“If a large proportion of families across Wales are not able to attend the first two days of the show there will be significant financial impacts not just for the event, the society and attending traders, but also for the many tourism and hospitality businesses within a large radius of Llanelwedd,” said an NFU Cymru spokesman.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) added the current set of dates was unfair on those children who would potentially be excluded.

“We will continue to urge the Welsh government to reconsider these proposals and to extend the Royal Welsh exception currently afforded to Powys to all counties, ensuring equitable access for all children across Wales,” said FUW policy officer Gemma Haines.

Support for term dates

The Welsh government however said the dates for 2026-27 were proposed by the majority of local authorities in Wales, including Powys, Ceredigion and neighbouring local authorities and were supported by a large proportion of respondents to their recent consultation.

“We have given Powys schools extra consideration due to the unique local challenges experienced by the areas closest to the Royal Welsh Show and their term time will be slightly different,” a spokesman said.