Bowen Park was chosen in January 1876 as the site for the first ever Royal Queensland Show. The park covered 6.8 hectares bordered by Bowen Bridge Road, Gregory Terrace and a creek which ran through the middle of what is now the Main Arena.
The Intercolonial Exhibition of 1876 was held at Bowen Park with an estimated 15,000-17,000 people attending out of Brisbane's populations at the time of just 20,600.
5,000 people charges the turnstiles - chaos ensued until the mounted troopers were called to drive back the crowd
Visitors to the first show were treated to more than 1,000 exhibits
The show received 1,700 competition entries in more than 600 entries
Entry tickets were large and square for major patrons, circular for subscribers, blue for judges and red for stewards*
Staff included a nightwatchman, 40 stewards and more than 30 judges*
Entry to the grounds in the morning was a half-crown or visitors could wait until after the official opening when the cost of a ticket fell to one shilling*
Competitors were usually charged two shillings and sixpence per entry*
The largest prize up for grabs was 25 guineas*
The show closed at midnight on Monday 28 August, following a controversial decision to open on the Sunday*
Only three breeds of cattle were displayed at the first show - Durham, Hereford and Devon*
Introduction of the first ride in Sideshow Alley - a merry-go-round*
The total value of prizes and medals was between £500 and £600*
Ekka patrons were amazed by telephones, microphones, electric lights and even an electric thief detector
The Ekka's first oyster stall was introduced*
The first district exhibits contest was held - nine regions competed for a prize pool of £175*
The first fireworks display in the Main Arena, beginning another show tradition*
Queensland Country Women's Association make its first appearance at the Ekka
The first night time ring program was held following the introduction of electric lighting*
The show was cancelled due to World War II as the grounds were used as a staging depot
The now symbolic Ekka fairy floss, butter board sandwiches, Strawberry Sundaes and dagwood dogs were introduced*
Inner city bypass constructed, Sideshow Alley and the woodchop arena redeveloped
Grammy Award winners Wolfmother close the Ekka's concert series in front of a capacity crowd
In an Australian first, Ekka fans were able to customise their own fireworks on the show's free interactive fireworks iPhone app
2012 Australian of the Year and Academy Award-winning actor and producer Geoffrey Rush attended the opening day of the Ekka
In true Queensland style, a cricket match involving cricketing greats Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Ian Healy, Andy Bichel and Jimmy Maher, took place on the Main Arena on the final day of the Ekka
The Royal Queensland Show took home the prestigious Best in Show title, along with 13 other awards, at the 2013 International Association of Fairs & Expositions Awards (IAFE Awards)
Over 400,000 guests through the Ekka gates
Over 54,521 Ekka Facebook friends - a growth of 75% from 2012
Australia-first million dollar night show Ekka NITES wows the crowd each night of show
Queensland beats New South Wales in the 2014 Ekka Rodeo
The Ekka runs over two full weekends for the first time in the show's history
British stars from the 'Inbetweeners' and Miss World Australia, Courtney Thorpe, visit Ekka
The Racing and Diving Pigs wow the crowds at Ekka, as they fly through the sky and dive into a pool of water
Seven-year-old Mater Vandeleur who captivated the audience with his pig training tricks made international news with his special Channel 7 news report
Never before seen fireworks light up the Main Arena
After 119 years, The Old Museum came back home to Ekka, housing the Flower and Garden Exhibition and Quilts Across Queensland
A new two day pass and dedicated 2 for 1 ride and food days are introduced, signaling major historic hip pocket savings
The world-class night show EkkaNITES showcases incredible female talent, including American FMX superstar Vicki Golden
The breathtaking EkkaNITES fireworks finale features a 20 metre high pyrotechnic tower never before seen in Australia, shooting fireworks from 49 positions
The Ekka celebrated a remarkable milestone - its 140th anniversary
The RNA marked the special occasion by introducing a new half price ticket for entry from 6pm and not one, but two fireworks displays
The RNA invested in its charter of championing and celebrating agriculture, building two new event facilities - The Pavilion and Marquee 2.
The Pavilion, completed in October, was partially used at the show to house beef and dairy cattle, dairy goats and poultry. Meanwhile Marquee 2 was completed in February and became the new Woodchop Arena, expanding the competition area by 50 per cent.
Alexandria Park was completed in April, offering two acres of additional green and event space, along with a refurbished heritage-listed undercover events pavilion known as Building 8. The park became the new home of the Ekka’s Canine Competition presented by Black Hawk in August.
The show was cancelled in the best interest of public health due to the global coronavirus pandemic, social distancing measures and public gathering restrictions.
For the second year in a row, the show was cancelled in the best interest of public health due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic and subsquent lockdown measures
More than 345,000 people came together over nine days, as the country and city were reunited.
More than 400,000 people attended the Ekka, including Hollywood superstar Matt Damon.
Despite three days of wet weather, more than 346,000 people attended the Ekka.
The rain event was so significant it led to the postponement of the iconic Grand Parade for the first time in more than 40 years on People’s Day, to Saturday.
*Historical information and statistics sourced from 'Showtime - A History of the Brisbane Exhibition' by Joanne Scott and Ross Laurie, 2008; and RNA Archives.
