Albury WodongaMotels · a local guide

Guide · 4 November 2026

The Albury Show after its comeback: tickets, gates and a bed for next year

The Albury Show nearly folded after 169 years before its community saved it and put sheep and poultry classes back on the program, and anyone planning a future visit should know that the family ticket was the best value for two adults and three school-age children, and that the showground closed all its own campsites around the show.

If you're planning to bring two adults and three school-age children to the Albury Show, the 2026 price list makes the case for the family ticket. On the Albury Show 2026 tickets page, a standard family day ticket was $50 (checked October 2026). Buying the same five tickets separately would have cost $70 (checked October 2026): two adults at $20 plus three children at $10. That's our working, and the gap is $20 (checked October 2026).

The same sums held across both days. The family 2-day pass was $80 (checked October 2026), against $100 (checked October 2026) for two separate family days. That's our working, and it saves another $20 (checked October 2026).

The second thing to know is where you'll sleep. Albury Showground closed its campsites to all camping from 25 October to 2 November 2026 for the show, which is nine nights by our count. If you travel with a van or a tent, the showground itself is off the list for show week.

How did the Albury Show nearly close, and who saved it?

From 1857 to the comeback

  1. 1857

    First Albury Show

  2. 1993

    Last year sheep were shown before their return

  3. 15 March 2026

    Committee down to six members and expecting to wind up

  4. 19 March 2026

    Annual meeting draws about 40 people, most volunteer, new president and committee elected

  5. 30 and 31 October 2026

    Show programmed with sheep returning “for the first time since 1993”

  6. Poultry

    Poultry back “after more than 10 years”: absent more than 10 years

Sources: Border Mail, 1857 and the annual meeting; Border Mail, mid-March 2026; Albury Show 2026 tickets on Oztix (sheep and poultry).

This is a show with a long memory. The first Albury Show was in 1857, and the society describes itself as a volunteer, not-for-profit group that "faced closure after 169 years of operation".

It came close. By mid-March 2026 the Border Mail reported the committee was down to six members and expected to wind up.

Then people turned up. The society's annual meeting on 19 March 2026 drew about 40 people, most of whom volunteered, and a new president, Nyssa Belton, was elected with a new committee.

The rebuilt show was programmed with livestock classes Albury hadn't seen in a long time. Sheep were listed as returning for the first time since 1993, and poultry after more than 10 years. By our count, that's a 33-year gap for the sheep.

What happens at the Albury Show?

Two Clydesdales pulling an open timber wagon of families across a country showground, with gum trees and a pavilion behind
Illustration: a Clydesdale wagon ride at a country show

At heart it is a competition show. The 2026 program listed horse, cattle, sheep, poultry and dog sections, alongside arts and crafts, cookery, horticulture, school and community exhibits, and the Young Woman Competition.

Much of the entertainment came with the entry ticket. The free entertainment listed for 2026 included:

  • the Outback Stockman Show
  • Hawkesbury Kelpies working dog demonstrations
  • Hay Ho Animal Nursery
  • reptile awareness displays
  • Clydesdale harness rides by Colonial Clydesdales
  • historical displays, family entertainment and community exhibits
Merino sheep on straw in timber-railed pens inside a show pavilion, with poultry cages on trestles behind
Illustration: sheep and poultry pens inside a show pavilion

For young children, the animal nursery and the Clydesdale rides are the easy wins. For anyone who grew up around the land, the sheep pens are the story of the year.

When was the 2026 show on, and when does it usually run?

Albury Show 2026 opening hours

  1. Friday 30 October

    3:00pm to 9:00pm

  2. Saturday 31 October

    9:00am to 9:00pm
The show is traditionally held on the last weekend of October. Sources: Albury Show visitor information; Border Mail.

The 2026 show was set for Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October at Albury Showgrounds, Mate Street, North Albury. The gates opened from 3:00pm to 9:00pm on Friday and from 9:00am to 9:00pm on Saturday.

That split shapes a visit. Friday was a late-afternoon and evening session, which suits locals after work or travellers arriving on the day. Saturday was the full 12-hour day, with room for the animals, the pavilions and a break in the middle.

For future years, the Border Mail notes the show is traditionally held on the last weekend of October. The society sets each year's dates, so check Albury Show before you lock anything in.

Which ticket suited a family, and what did it cost?

Albury Show 2026 ticket prices, standard vs early bird (checked October 2026)

Standard Early bird

Single day

  1. Adult 16+

    standard $20.00
    early bird $16.35

  2. Concession or child 6 to 16

    standard $10.00
    early bird $6.15

  3. Family (2 adults and up to 3 children aged 6 to 16)

    standard $50.00
    early bird $41.85

2-day pass

  1. Adult

    standard $30.00
    early bird $26.55

  2. Concession or child

    standard $15.00
    early bird $11.25

  3. Family

    standard $80.00
    early bird $67.35
Under 6: free. Early-bird prices applied until standard pricing began. Source: Albury Show 2026 tickets on Oztix (checked October 2026).

Here is the 2026 standard price list from the Albury Show 2026 tickets page, all checked October 2026:

Buying early paid off. Early-bird prices applied until standard pricing began: an adult day was $16.35 and a family day was $41.85 (checked October 2026). The family 2-day early-bird pass was $67.35 (checked October 2026).

Our view: a travelling family staying both days does best with the family 2-day pass, bought early. The family ticket covers up to three children aged 6 to 16, and under-6s go free, so a family with one toddler and three school-age kids still fits.

Which gate should you use?

GateBuy tickets there?Scan inDays
Mate StreetYesYesBoth show days
Fallon StreetYesYesBoth show days
Eames StreetNoPrepaid tickets onlySaturday only
Accessible parking near the main entry gates; accessible toilets and baby change throughout; ambulance near the Show Office.
Source: Albury Show visitor information.

The showgrounds have three entry points, and only two of them sell tickets. Per the Albury Show visitor information, Mate Street and Fallon Street both sell tickets and scan you in. Eames Street is prepaid scan-in only, and opens only on Saturday.

So if you're buying at the gate, head for Mate or Fallon Street. If you've bought online and it's Saturday, Eames Street is also an option.

The same page lists dedicated accessible parking near the main entry gates, accessible toilets and baby change stations throughout the grounds, and an ambulance near the Show Office.

Why do show visitors need a bed off the showground?

25 October to 2 November 2026

Showground campsites closed to all camping Show public days

  1. Sun25Oct
  2. Mon26Oct
  3. Tue27Oct
  4. Wed28Oct
  5. Thu29Oct
  6. Fri30OctShow public day
  7. Sat31OctShow public day
  8. Sun1Nov
  9. Mon2Nov
Campsites closed for nine days around the two public show days. Sources: Albury Showground; Albury Show visitor information.

Plenty of country show visitors would normally pull a van onto the showground. In 2026 that wasn't possible: Albury Showground said its campsites were closed to all camping from 25 October to 2 November for the Albury Annual Show.

The closure ran well past the two public days. That means a family arriving for Friday evening and staying through Saturday needs a bed elsewhere for both nights.

At Albury Wodonga Motels, our advice for any big border weekend is the same. Settle your dates first, then book your room direct so you can ask your questions before you pay. Our page on why to book direct explains how that works. Travelling as an extended family or a club? Our group accommodation booking tips are written for exactly that.

The show also sits close to a cross-border holiday puzzle. In 2026, Melbourne Cup Day was Tuesday 3 November, days after the show. Cup Day is not on the NSW public holiday list, so it is a normal working day in Albury. Our guide to how the border splits Cup Day covers the Wodonga side.

The Albury Show at a glance

Where
Albury Showgrounds, Mate Street, North Albury 2640
Albury Show visitor information
When (2026)
Fri 30 Oct 3:00pm to 9:00pm, Sat 31 Oct 9:00am to 9:00pm; traditionally the last weekend of October
Albury Show visitor information; Border Mail
Tickets (2026 standard, checked October 2026)
Adult 16+ $20 a day, concession or child 6 to 16 $10, under 6 free, family (2 adults and up to 3 children aged 6 to 16) $50, family 2-day pass $80
Albury Show 2026 tickets on Oztix
Gates
Mate St and Fallon St sell and scan, Eames St prepaid scan-in only and Saturday only
Albury Show visitor information

Showground campsites closed to all camping 25 Oct to 2 Nov 2026.

Sources: Albury Show visitor information; Albury Show 2026 tickets on Oztix (checked October 2026); Albury Showground; Border Mail.

The show, the gates, the 2026 prices and the camping closure, all on one card to save or screenshot for next year.

Planning next year's show weekend with Albury Wodonga Motels

Once the society confirms its dates on Albury Show, the next step is a bed close to the action. Our How to Book page explains how to book direct with the motel, so you can ask about your nights and who's coming before you pay.

If you're turning the show into a longer stay, our guide to a weekend in Albury Wodonga fills in the rest of the trip.

Sources