Saturday crowd limits considered after 2020

Limits could be imposed on Saturday entry to the Royal Highland Show in future if visitor demand continues to grow for the event’s busiest day.

Show organisers, the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society (RHASS), say the growing weekend numbers have become challenging and they are considering ways to manage attendance on each day.

Chairman Bill Gray said: “This won’t happen for this year but is likely to feature in the coming years.

“The reality is that if we keep growing, we may have a sell-out of our world-class customer experience on Saturdays – the busiest day of the show.”

Last year’s show attendance of 195,400 set a record, with more than 58,000 on the Saturday.

The RHASS made it clear society members will not face restrictions, but it is encouraging anyone who has “flexibility” to consider visiting on the Thursday, Friday or Sunday.

Anyone planning to attend next year’s show is being advised to buy early-bird tickets for £24 before the end of this month ahead of a price hike in January, which is still to be revealed.

CEO Alan Laidlaw said: “We wanted to give showgoers the opportunity to snap up tickets at 2019 prices before the increase, which is reflective of the escalating costs associated with an event of this quality and complexity.”

The RHASS said a comprehensive bus travel plan will be in place for next year’s show, allowing visitors to travel to Ingliston from major towns and cities throughout Scotland.