Country Shows Not To Miss This Summer

Of course visits to your local clayground keep your eye in, but they don’t provide quite the same camaraderie as a day’s shooting. There’s one way, however, to meet up with friends, socialise AND shoot… this summer’s game fairs. We look at the best of them and find out what makes them so special. 

Great Shires Game Fair - 14th & 15th April

Supported by the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, the Great Shires Game Fair is a spring show that takes its fieldsports seriously. With a fantastic array of outdoor activities and demonstrations, as well as more than 200 exhibitors in two halls, meaning that April showers won’t be a problem. Alongside the fantastic shopping opportunities are lots of have-a-go activities: archery, clay shooting, fly casting, fly-tying, net making, gundog scurries, air rifle ranges, bushcraft, bird calling and, of course, plenty of gundog activities, as well as a family dog show. It’s a great day out, full of activity and energy, and very much aimed at families who love the great outdoors. 

Location: Three Counties Showground, Worcestershire
Price: Tickets £14 per adult; £7 per child; £40 for a family ticket (two adults, three children); group discounts available
Date: 14 & 15 April
More information: The Great Shires Game Fair Website

Northern Shooting Show - 12th & 13th May

The Northern Shooting Show is one of the more recent additions to our summer calendar, and is a hybrid between an indoor and outdoor show, enjoying the benefits of both. A new £12million exhibition hall houses manufacturers, distributors and retailers, while a beautifully landscaped outdoor area is perfect for fieldsports areas, including a 550m long clay shooting line, airgun areas and demonstrations in all manner of fieldsports. There is masses to keep children occupied, such as a bushcraft area, airsoft and, for the canine aficionados, there are all the usual scurries, demos and competitions. The show will also be hosting the first-ever hunting film festival in conjunction with Pace Productions. 

Location: Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate.
Price: £12 per person for advance tickets, which includes free hardstanding parking
Date: 12 & 13 May
More information: The Northern Shooting Show Website

The Game Fair - 27th, 28th & 29th July

Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, The Game Fair came under new management in 2016, and the auspices have been nothing short of brilliant for the event in its new guise. Going back to its roots, as a celebration of fieldsports has rejuvenated The Game Fair. The Subaru Shooting Line is the longest of its kind in Europe. Where else, too, can you pit your skills against the likes of George Digweed or Simon Ward? The largest fieldsports event in our country, The Game Fair represents all our glorious pastimes in stunning settings.

This year will feature some exciting new additions: The Ronnie Scott Jazz evening, new hospitality run by chef James Martin, and a 60th anniversary museum to celebrate the glory of The Game Fair. 

Location: Ragley Hall, Warwickshire
Price: advance tickets £27 for adults; £25 for senior citizens, students and military personel; £10 for children aged 8-16, free for children under 8. BASC members receive complimentary entry. 
Date: 27, 28 & 29 July
More information: The Game Fair Website

The Midland Game Fair - 15th & 16th September

For more than 35 years, the Midland Game Fair has provided one of the liveliest shooting events at Weston Park, in Shropshire, with more than 700 trade stands. A celebration of fieldsports, this show brings together shooting, fishing, working dog and hunting enthusiasts. This year, the show promises some fantastic exhibitions in the Realtree Main Arena, including jousting, falconry, a marching band and a hound parade. The addition of the Folks Roots Festival has been a popular one, with music being played on three different stages.

Some of the most important competitions in fieldsports are also held here: the Chudleys Gundog Championship, BASC Clay Shooting Championship, European Field Target Championship, World Stickmakers Championship and Countrymans Champion of Champions for terrier and lurchers.

Location: Weston Park, Shropshire
Price: £20 for adults, children under 15 free (accompanied by an adult); £17 for advance tickets
Date: 15 & 16 September
More information: The Midland Game Fair Website