The Central Otago A&P Show is a 130-year-old one-day show at the Omakau Domain; the 126th was held in February 2024, and the 2027 date had not been confirmed at the time of writing.
The Central Otago A&P Show is an annual one-day agricultural and pastoral show held at the Omakau Domain in Omakau, in the Manuherikia Valley of Central Otago. It is one of the region's oldest community events and is usually staged in early February; the 126th show was held on Saturday 10 February 2024. The date for the 2027 edition had not been confirmed at the time of writing and is not asserted here.
The show is organised by the Central Otago A&P Association and its show committee, led in 2024 by president Dayna Paterson. The association traces the event back to its first show on 1 December 1893, making the 2024 edition its 126th and giving it well over a century of continuous local history.
The programme spans classic A&P competition and spectacle: horses and ponies, sheep, cattle and equestrian classes, woodchopping, shearing and fleece-wool judging, home industries, a fashion show, polo and roving entertainers. Set-piece attractions include a children's pet parade in 'The Paddock' around 12.30pm, a grand parade at 1pm, and live music on the main stage. It draws both rural competitors and townspeople for a family day out.
Omakau Domain sits in the small Central Otago settlement of Omakau, reached by road from Alexandra and Clyde via State Highway 85, with the domain grounds hosting the rings, trade and display areas. Omakau and nearby Alexandra and the Manuherikia/Ophir area offer the usual accommodation and services for visitors to the show.
For Central Otago, the show is a long-standing annual bridge between the district's farming communities and its towns, sustaining traditional competitions and rural skills in a region now better known for viticulture and tourism.
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