Llanthony Show 2026: Why We Down Tools For This One Every Year
If you ask anyone round here what the highlight of the farming calendar is, after lambing (obviously), it’s Llanthony Show. Every year on the first Saturday of August, the whole valley more or less empties out and reassembles at Court Farm, right in the shadow of Llanthony Abbey, for a proper old–fashioned country show. This year it falls on Saturday 1st August 2026, and if you’ve never been, I genuinely think you’re missing out on one of the best days South Wales has to offer.
I’m not just saying that because we’re local and biased (although we are, a bit). Llanthony Show has been going for donkey’s years and it’s stayed exactly the sort of show it should be: sheep in pens, kids racing about, someone’s dog winning best in show purely on personality, and a tea tent doing a roaring trade. No corporate sponsors trying to sell you a car, no fairground rides bolted on for the sake of it. Just a proper community show in one of the most beautiful spots in the Black Mountains.
Where and When
The show takes place at Court Farm, Llanthony, tucked right next to the abbey ruins, which if you haven’t seen them before is reason enough to visit on its own. Gates open on the Saturday and admission is £7 for anyone over 16, and £3 for under 16s, which includes parking. Honestly, for a full day out for the family, you won’t find better value anywhere in the Brecon Beacons.
Full details and the schedule are on the official Llanthony Show website, and I’d always recommend having a look before you go so you know what time your favourite bits are on.
What’s On
This is a proper all day event and there’s something going on more or less constantly. Some of the classics you can expect:
Horse and pony classes and show jumping, which always draw a good crowd, especially if the weather behaves itself. The sheep classes, which as a lamb farmer I might be slightly obsessed with, but they really are worth watching if you want to see some cracking examples of Welsh hill breeds up close.
There’s the fell race, which is not for the faint hearted given the hills around here, and always gets a good cheer from the sidelines. The children’s sports and the fancy dress and decorated floats are an absolute highlight if you’ve got little ones, my two live for this bit every year. There’s also the Farmer’s Challenge, the Companion Dog Show for anyone who fancies entering the family pet rather than a pedigree, and the produce, baking and handicraft tent, which is basically a village hall bake off but with better scones.
New for this year, the show is welcoming BMXTRAs, Marcher Stuarts, Black Mountains Falconry and Pandy Vintage Tractors, so there’s plenty to keep everyone entertained between the main ring events.
If you’re the competitive type, entries for most classes need to go in ahead of time, so it’s worth checking the rules and entry details before the day.
Why It’s Worth The Trip
Llanthony isn’t the easiest place to get to. Our roads are narrow, our satnavs lie, and there’s a fair chance you’ll meet a tractor or a flock of sheep coming the other way at some point. But that’s exactly why the show is worth making the effort for. You’re not just watching a country show, you’re watching this valley’s community come together in the most beautiful backdrop imaginable, with the Black Mountains rising up on every side and the ruins of the abbey looking on like they’ve seen a hundred years of these Saturdays (because they probably have).
Make A Weekend Of It
If you’re travelling any distance for the show, or you just fancy turning it into a proper Black Mountains weekend, we’d love to have you to stay. We’re only a short drive from Court Farm, tucked away on our own working sheep farm here in the Llanthony Valley. Between the three of our little glamping spots, the Hatterall Hut, the Carriage and the Dome, there’s somewhere that’ll suit however you’re travelling, whether that’s a couple’s getaway or a solo trip with one of the kids in tow.
Wake up on the morning of the show to the sound of actual sheep (sorry, occupational hazard), have a proper farmhouse breakfast, and then it’s a short hop down the valley to Court Farm for a full day of country show fun. And if the weather’s kind that evening, there’s nowhere better to watch the stars come out afterwards than from your own little hideaway in the valley.
Have a look at our places to stay and come and join us for the show this year. We’ll be the ones in the sheep pen.
Stay wild