Buy Tickets
When you buy a ticket to the New Forest Show, you’re not paying a commercial event promoter – you’re supporting a registered charity. The Show is organised by the New Forest Agricultural Show Society, a registered charity founded in 1920, and the money raised goes back into protecting the Forest, educating the next generation, and keeping rural skills alive.
Many of the south’s biggest events are run for profit. The New Forest Show isn’t – and that difference shapes everything about it. Here’s exactly what your day out helps to fund.
Who Runs the New Forest Show?
The New Forest Agricultural Show Society has championed agriculture, horticulture, forestry, equestrianism and rural crafts for over 100 years. The Show is its biggest fundraiser, and every ticket, membership and ice cream helps power a year-round programme of charitable work across the Forest, delivered by the Society’s in-house Education Team.
What Does the Society Fund?
Your ticket money supports a wide range of projects – here are some of the highlights.
Mini Forests Project
5,500+ Trees · 500+ Schoolchildren · 200 Volunteers
We’ve planted over 5,500 trees and shrubs alongside more than 500 schoolchildren and 200 volunteers – creating new habitats for wildlife and giving local people a hands-on stake in the future of the Forest.
Schools Education Day
Livestock · Beekeeping · Traditional Skills
Each year we welcome local children to the showground for hands-on learning – meeting livestock and a New Forest pony, discovering beekeeping and forestry, and trying traditional skills like cheese and butter making.
The Samantha & Florence Bailey Bursary
Funding the Next Generation of Farmers
Established in 2018 in memory of Samantha Bailey and her unborn daughter Florence, the bursary funds young people in Hampshire pursuing careers in agriculture – from agricultural college places to short courses.
The Heathcote Award
Honouring 30+ Years of Rural Service
We recognise individuals who have given 30 or more years of exemplary service to agriculture, forestry, equestrianism or horticulture in the New Forest and Hampshire – celebrating the people who keep rural traditions alive.
Connecting People with the Forest
Guided Walks · Campsite Activities
From twilight bat walks and fungi discovery sessions to hands-on crafts across our campsites, we run year-round activities that help people of all ages understand and care for the Forest.
Preserving Rural Skills
Crafts · Competitions · Countryside Traditions
The Show itself keeps blacksmithing, horticulture, livestock breeding and countryside crafts in the public eye – giving traditional skills a stage, an audience and a future.
How Is This Different from a Commercial Event?
Surpluses from the Show support the Society’s charitable work and other local and national charitable organisations – so the better the Show does, the more goes back into the Forest and its communities. When you buy a ticket, become a member, or stay with our sister organisation Camping New Forest, you’re directly funding that work.
Want to support the Society year-round? Membership includes exclusive access to the Members’ Lawn and Enclosure, Grandstand seating and more.
Learn More About Membership →How Can I Support the Society?
The simplest way is to come to the Show – every ticket counts. Beyond that, you can:
- Become a member – year-round support with exclusive Show benefits in return.
- Volunteer – lend a hand at community events like Mini Forest planting days.
- Stay with Camping New Forest – our sister organisation’s campsites support the same charitable work.
- Nominate someone for the Heathcote Award – help us celebrate 30+ years of rural service.
A Day Out That Gives Back
So next time you’re watching the Grand Parade with an ice cream in hand, you’ll know your ticket is doing more than buying a great day out – it’s planting trees, teaching children where their food comes from, and helping the next generation of farmers get their start.
Be part of it – every ticket helps fund the Society’s work across the Forest.
Buy Your Tickets →Your Questions Answered
Yes – the Show is organised by the New Forest Agricultural Show Society, a registered charity founded in 1920 to promote agriculture, horticulture, forestry, equestrianism and rural crafts.
Proceeds support the Society’s charitable work – including the Mini Forests tree-planting project, Schools Education Day, the Samantha & Florence Bailey Bursary for young people entering agriculture, and other local and national charitable organisations.
A tree-planting initiative that has planted over 5,500 trees and shrubs with the help of more than 500 schoolchildren and 200 volunteers, creating new wildlife habitats around New Park.
Young people in Hampshire pursuing a future in agriculture – whether attending agricultural college or taking short courses to develop their career. Applicants must show how the funding will benefit their career and personal development.
Become a member, stay at a Camping New Forest campsite, volunteer at community events such as Mini Forest planting days, or simply keep coming to the Show – it all goes back into the Forest.
