NEXT year’s Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show will be a two-day event, it has been confirmed.

Organisers say extending the August gathering, which takes place at the Turnpike Showground in Motcombe, will help spread costs and ‘ensure its continued success’.

The show will run on Wednesday, August 16 and Thursday, August 17, 2023.

It comes after a successful 2022 event, which saw more than 25,000 people enjoy the livestock parades, agricultural and countryside exhibits, equestrian events, vintage machinery and cars, live bands, parachute team, motorbike stunt displays and more.

As well as offering day out for residents and visitors, the show has become an important date in the calendar for farmers and others in the agricultural industry.

More than 85 agricultural businesses took part in 2022, with a dedicated agricultural and rural section of the show created for the first time.

However, rising costs and record numbers bring logistical challenges and Giles Simpson, show chairman, local farmer and agronomist, said extending the event made it more cost effective.

“Despite the challenges of an incredibly dry and hot summer, the show was a huge success this year on all levels,” he said.

“However, running a one-day show is a risk and bringing all of this together for a single day is costly and even more so if it rains on that day.

“The two-day Show will see us take the Show to a new and even more exciting level in our region.

“We’ve done the maths and our decision to make the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show a two-day event will help us make it more cost-effective and even more financially viable by spreading the running costs over two days.

“It will also allow us to implement risk management strategies and fulfil our commitment to secure the future of this much-loved annual event.”

He said show tickets will remain competitively priced at under £20 per person.