The Perth Royal Show is back at Claremont Showground from Saturday 26 September to Saturday 3 October 2026, bringing eight fun-filled days of animals, rides, fireworks and plenty of family entertainment. It is one of those Perth school holiday traditions that children look forward to all year, but a full day can quickly become expensive without a little planning. The good news is that there is loads included in the entry price, along with a few clever ways to make your dollars stretch further.
A day at the Show can cost as much or as little as you let it, and with a bit of planning you can have a brilliant time without the post-Show bill shock. Here are the ways our family keeps the spending in check.
Know what you are paying at the gate
The Cook Government and Lotterywest have tipped $3.95 million into the Show this year, which means ticket prices have been frozen at last year’s levels. Online prices are $49.95 for an adult, $25.60 for a child aged 4 to 15, $28.65 concession and $135.05 for a family pass, all inclusive of fees. Kids aged three and under are free, though they still need a ticket to show at the gate. Buy online before you go rather than at the gate, and remember that every ticket lets you change your attendance date free of charge through My Orders, which is handy when the forecast turns nasty. Full details are on the Perth Royal Show ticketing page.
If you have older teens or you are heading in after work, the After Dark adult ticket at $36.80 covers entry from 5pm and still gets you the evening arena program and the fireworks.
Catch the train and skip the parking headache
Parking around Claremont is genuinely difficult, and the train drops you right at the gate. Public transport fares dropped in January, so a FamilyRider is now just $7 and covers up to seven people (no more than two full fare payers) for unlimited travel all day. During school holidays you can buy one any time after 8.30am, and on weekends any time at all. Even better, travel is free every Sunday for anyone using a SmartRider or contactless payment, so if you can make Sunday 27 September work, your whole trip in and out costs nothing. Extra services stop at Showgrounds Station throughout the week. Plan your run on the Transperth website.
Book the free Yellow Brick Road
This one is the single best value thing at the Show and this year it is free for 10,000 families. The Yellow Brick Road is a ten-stop trail around the Showground where kids collect treats, samples and hands-on activities along the way, and it comes with a branded backpack that doubles as a keepsake. It is pitched at ages 5 to 12 and runs 10am to 5pm daily. You need to redeem your pack in advance, limited to two per family, and collection points close in the afternoon, so make it your first job on arrival rather than something you get to after lunch. Bag the trail before you go anywhere near sideshow alley and you will find the kids are already half satisfied. Book your spot here.
Fill your day with the free stuff
There is an enormous amount included in your entry ticket, and this is where the value sits. The Farmyard Nursery is the one our lot never want to leave, with animal feeding, Pat a Pig with Westpork and Critters Up Close, where kids can meet snakes, lizards, spiders and a possum. Over at Cattle Corner you will find the shaggy Highland cows from Vizzari’s Highlands, and a gold coin donation buys a handful of feed so the kids can do the honours themselves.
The Bee Discovery Hub at AgVenture Hill has local honey tasting, bee-friendly gardening ideas and pollination activities, while Smart Farms lets kids poke around the technology changing how food is grown. Add the free dog and cat judging in the PAWvilion, the alpacas, the poultry, the woodchop arena and the creative arts and cookery pavilions, and you have easily filled a day without opening your wallet.
On the stages, the Global Stage has a live PAW Patrol experience with Chase and Marshall that little ones adore, plus Kaarla Kaatijin from Yirra Yaakin, an interactive theatre performance celebrating Noongar culture and connection to Country. Cooking demos run at the Long Paddock Stage, including From the Farm Kitchen with Alex Crisp. Kelpies for Kids is back too, with young kelpies auctioned off to WA farms and every dollar going to Telethon.
Time your visit around the arena action
The Main Arena program is included in your ticket and it is worth building your day around it. The headline act this year is American Guinness World Record holder Dave “The Bullet” Smith, who is being fired from a cannon across the arena in his WA debut. There is also the Hot Wheels Heroes Super Truck Show, freestyle motocross, show horse classes, farm skills and the world premiere of the Royal Roundup featuring more than 100 sheep and two sheepdog teams.
The fireworks go off at 8pm every single night of the Show, and they are free. If your children can hack a late one, there is no better way to finish. Older kids and parents might also enjoy the evening entertainment in Cattle Lane, with Bogan Bingo and line dancing with the Cherry Steppers on the program.
Head to Kids Luna Park for the 2 for 1 rides
If you have little ones, Kids Luna Park is where your ride money should go. It sits right beside the Main Arena, so you can park yourselves there and still catch the action, and the rides are pitched squarely at younger kids: the Runaway Train Rollercoaster, Camelot Castle, Cup and Saucer, Fiesta Balloon, the Storm, Jurassic Lost Temple and the bigger Dream Swinger for braver ones. Most rides take one token at $8, with a family special of ten tokens for $70.
The deal that makes the real difference is the 2 for 1 rides offer, running every day between 3pm and 4pm. Buy your ride tickets in that window and you get two rides for the price of one, and the tickets stay valid until 7pm that day, so you can stock up in the hour and spread the rides across the rest of the afternoon. It effectively halves the cost of the part of the day that usually hurts the most. Worth noting the Show also advertises a 2 for 1 offer between 10am and 11am, so if you are an early arriving family there is a second chance at it. Discounted token packs are available online ahead of time at kidslunapark.com.au, which saves queuing and stops the top-ups creeping up on you.
Over in Sideshow Alley the prices climb quickly, with the new 24 metre Kraken at $20 and Lunarix at $25, so if you are watching the budget, stay in Kids Luna Park and treat the big rides as a one-off. The new 36 metre SkyVista Ferris wheel lifted across from Elizabeth Quay does have a family deal at $49 for two adults and two kids, which is a nice way to finish the day with everyone included.
Pack a picnic and graze smartly
Show food adds up fast. Outside food and non-alcoholic drinks in sealed containers are allowed through the gates, so we pack sandwiches, fruit and a big bottle of water and find a patch of grass near the Main Arena to eat while the action rolls on. Save the treat budget for one thing the kids really want rather than grazing all day. Between the Yellow Brick Road samples, the dairy tastings and the honey at the Bee Hub, you will find the kids nibble their way around anyway.
Be strategic about showbags
There are hundreds to browse, but the cheap classics like Bertie Beetle and Whizz Fizz still do the job for a few dollars. Browse the showbag list online at home first, let each child pick one and set the limit before you walk in, and you will avoid the meltdown in the pavilion.
Download the app before you go
The free official Perth Royal Show app has an interactive map, live show times and weather alerts, and lets you build a personalised itinerary. Sitting down the night before and plotting your free attractions around the arena timings and that 3pm ride window is the difference between a day that feels great value and a day of aimless wandering past the food vans.
With a little planning, the Perth Royal Show can still be a fantastic family day out without spending a fortune. Focus on the free animal experiences and entertainment, pack a few snacks, use public transport and choose one or two paid extras that your children will really love. Whether it is cuddling a baby animal, collecting Yellow Brick Road goodies, catching the arena action or enjoying the fireworks at the end of the night, there are plenty of lovely Show memories to make on any budget.
Perth Royal Show 2026
Dates: Saturday 26 September to Saturday 3 October 2026
Opening hours: 10am until late daily, last entry 8.30pm
Address: Claremont Showground, 1 Graylands Road, Claremont WA 6010
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I would definitely recommend going to the Perth Royal Show on a budget! There are so many ways to enjoy the show without spending a lot of money. For example, you can buy tickets on sale or use the free tickets that are available through