Tullamore Show
vendor catering Ireland.
The Tullamore Show is the largest one-day agricultural show in Ireland and the biggest single trading day in the midlands. Everything happens in one day on the second Sunday in August, which makes it operationally unlike any festival: there is no build-up trade, no second chance on Sunday, and no recovering a slow start. Get the day right and it is among the best revenue-per-day events in the country.
Festival facts
- Venue
- Butterfield Estate, Blueball, Tullamore, Co. Offaly
- County
- Offaly
- Typical dates
- Second Sunday in August (one day)
- Attendance
- Ireland's largest one-day agricultural show
- Operator
- Tullamore Show Society
- Application window
- Typically spring for the same-year August show
- Pitch fees
- Not published — indicatively €200–€900 for the day depending on frontage
- Official site
- www.tullamoreshow.com/ ↗
One day, no second chance
A one-day show compresses everything. You cannot learn from Saturday and fix it on Sunday, you cannot restock overnight, and a queue you cannot serve at midday is revenue you never recover. Overstaff relative to a festival day, prep further ahead, and bring more stock than the forecast suggests — the downside of leftovers on a one-day show is far smaller than the downside of selling out at 2pm.
Know the agricultural-show audience
This is a farming and rural-family crowd, not a street-food crowd. Traditional food consistently outperforms contemporary street food at Irish agricultural shows: breakfast rolls, hot beef or bacon, chips, sandwiches, scones, tea and filter coffee. A specialty flat white has a market here but a much smaller one than at an urban festival, and a €16 gourmet plate will not move.
Early start, early finish
Agricultural shows run on farming hours. Gate-in is early — expect to be on site and set up well before the public arrives — and trade tails off in the late afternoon rather than running into the evening. The morning trade is real and substantial, which is the opposite of an urban day festival, so a coffee and breakfast offer earns its place.
The wider show circuit
Tullamore is the largest of a national agricultural-show circuit running from spring through September, alongside the National Ploughing Championships and dozens of county and regional shows. Operators who suit this audience often build a season around the circuit rather than treating any single show as a one-off — and the shows talk to each other, so a good reputation at Tullamore opens doors elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Tullamore Show?
It is the largest one-day agricultural show in Ireland, held on the second Sunday of August at the Butterfield Estate outside Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
What food sells best at an Irish agricultural show?
Traditional food consistently outperforms contemporary street food. Breakfast rolls, hot beef or bacon, chips, sandwiches, scones, tea and filter coffee all move well. The crowd is rural and family-led, and a high-priced gourmet plate will not sell.
How is a one-day show different from a festival weekend?
There is no second chance. You cannot fix a slow Saturday on Sunday, you cannot restock overnight, and a midday queue you cannot serve is revenue gone. Overstaff, over-prep and over-stock relative to a festival day.
What time does trade start at an agricultural show?
Early. Shows run on farming hours — set up well before the public arrives, expect genuine morning breakfast and coffee trade, and expect trade to tail off in the late afternoon rather than run into the evening.
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