Heading to the Royal Adelaide Show in 2025? OTR journalist Leia Vlahos summarises the highs and lows of this year’s displays. (Image: Robert Hicks)
By Leia Vlahos | @leiavlahos_
For many South Australians, the Royal Adelaide Show is an annual tradition that cannot be missed. Although, like any annual tradition, routines can form, and things can start to feel stale. Many of the rides, stalls, and displays are the same each year.
But don’t fret; the show has some incredibly unique tastes, sights, and smells to offer in 2025. From endless free samples to some good old retail therapy… there really is something for everyone.
On The Record has compiled a helpful list of what is and isn’t worthwhile at the show this year.
In: Barossa Valley Lavender Ice Cream
The free samples at the Tasting SA pavilion are insanely popular — for damn good reason. If you happen to find a moment of sunshine through the awful weather the show is so often cursed with, I have the dessert for you.
It’s safe to say I had never tasted lavender ice cream before… and my life changed when I did. This ice cream blends the sweet and creamy flavour profile with a flower often associated with smell. The scent of lavender may not be for everyone, but this unorthodox flavour is not to be missed.
The unique flavours at Barossa Valley Ice Cream should be at the top of every dessert lover’s priority list. (Image: Leia Vlahos)
Barossa Valley Ice Cream nails unique ingredients and tastes such as honey and rosemary, ginger, and gin and lime sorbet. Grab yourself a scoop or two (or three, no judgement here!) of Barossa Valley Ice Cream for some delicious, gluten free, South Australian-made goodness.
Out: Labubus — any and all
In case you’ve been living under a rock, these fuzzy little dolls have been inescapable for the past few months. Trust me, the Royal Adelaide Show is no exception to this. These crazed dolls are a victim of the microtrend phenomenon: a hyper-specific capitalist trend ready for consumption now and even readier to be thrown out in a few weeks. The Labubus at the show hide in every shadow, from bag charms to five feet tall plush toys, and even a cookie.
Our least favourite trinket is now edible. (Image: Leia Vlahos)
24 hours on from my visit to the Royal Adelaide Show, I found myself wondering how prominent these creepy dolls will be at the 2026 Royal Adelaide Show. I ask myself how many pink sparkly cowboy hats I saw at the 2025 show… zero. This glittery fascination was something I couldn’t seem to avoid at last year’s celebration.
Perhaps the issue is not the specific toys, fashionable accessories, or cheap plastic showbags of whatever is in trend right now but instead is in the eye of the beholder. Why do we find ourselves falling into these quick, cheap serotonins boosting cash grabs every few months? How we can engage sustainably in these consumerist trends should be at the forefront of every show-goers mind in 2025 and beyond.
In: fresh produce displays
A day at the show includes obligatory junk food. A hot dagwood dog smothered in salty tomato sauce has never hurt anyone. However, these treats taste best with a balanced diet… which is why the fresh fruit and vegetable displays are a key element of any visit to the Royal Adelaide Show. The Goyder Pavilion is home to delicious fresh pears, apples, and bananas — just to name a few. These generous South Australian produce growers hand out samples of their fruit in multiple varieties.
Craving blood oranges? Coming right up.
Are you more of a classic navel orange person? They have sliced oranges and freshly pressed juice at your disposal.
Feeling something tangy and distinct? Ruby grapefruits may be for you.
The Goyder Pavilion has a slice of juicy and refreshing local produce for everyone to try, especially if you’re heading down the Yellow Brick Road. Check out the ‘Pick a Local, Pick SA’ stall for an apple, banana, and fresh samples all week to break up your food coma.
Out: Christmas in September
Call me a Grinch all you like. It’s still far too early for Christmas paraphernalia. (Image: Leia Vlahos)
Seeing Christmas displays this early in the year feels like a crime. As an ex-retail worker, the first few seconds of any Mariah Carey track instil an inexplicable terror deep inside of me. So, seeing fairy lights and reindeers in September causes a similar effect. The festivities in December are acceptable, but celebrating in Spring is just wrong. Just put the decorations away until all the inevitable pop-up shops arrive in every shopping centre in a few months’ time.
In: garden displays
Escape the crowds at Sophie Thomson’s Feature Garden Display. (Image: Leia Vlahos)
There’s a certain hour in each show visit when everything just gets too loud and overstimulating. Somehow, there’s four screaming children in a two-metre vicinity, a bass-heavy pop song blasts in your ear and a noisy game host heckles you for a game of knocking down the weighted pins.
The Goyder Pavilion’s garden displays provide a moment of tranquillity in a bustling day of madness. The gardens presented hold a wealth of detail and biodiversity that capture the essence and purpose of the show — celebrating excellence and innovation in horticulture. Sophie Thomson’s Feature Garden Display proves that the science still plays an important role in South Australian life and values. Many of these displays showcase ferns, trees, flowing water, metallic sculptures, and colourful flowers and should inspire all of us to stop and smell the flowers. Literally.
Out: 3D printed toys
These mass-produced 3D printed dragons are unimaginative and overdone. (Image: Leia Vlahos)
It seems Labubus are not the only toy fad in the works recently. If you’ve been to any local market, store, or carnival recently, you’ve probably noticed an abundance of 3D printed toys and figurines.
The toys are not suspicious in their own right. What is particularly suspicious is the sheer amount of these mass-produced plastic toys. They seem to be everywhere. To top it off, these printed dragon playthings do not differ from stall to stall. It’s all the same design, printed in a slightly alternative hue to differentiate their stall from their abundance of competitors.
The 3D-printed nature of the toys and figurines are not the problem, but instead the lack of creativity and originality that comes with the real-life copy and paste that is ripping off a rip off of a rip off. The Royal Adelaide Show has many terrific and unique artists and designers to support… don’t be the person to fall into the trap of buying something boring and uninspired.
The Royal Adelaide Show will be running until Sunday, September 7 and has a breadth of experiences to offer. Tickets are available online here or at your local Drakes Supermarket.
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