CIRENCESTER Park will come alive this weekend (July 4 and 5) as thousands of people are expected to attend the Cotswold Show and Food Festival.

With a thrilling line-up, the show promises something for everyone.

Last year over 30,000 visitors passed through the gates and the Cotswold Show and Food Festival has firmly established itself as a must see date in the country show calendar.

Now in its 27th year, the Show, with sponsor partner BPE Solicitors and Moore Allen & Innocent is one of the region's most popular rural events, with its combination of varied family entertainment programme, activity arenas, and 200 trade stands and artisanal food stalls, all showcasing what's best about the British countryside, its history and traditions.

The Show is once again hosted by its founder, Earl Bathurst, in 100 rolling acres of Cirencester Park.

Earl Bathurst said: "It’s important to us that we can show what happens and why in the countryside.

"Many traditional skills are being lost as new technology overtakes them but our display shows that many are still being used every day.”

The Show looks set to surpass all expectations with an expanded programme of activities and demonstrations plus a brand new Cookery Theatre - an addition to the recently-introduced Food Festival - featuring talented chefs from award-winning Cotswolds hotels and restaurants including Jesse’s, Wild Garlic, The Kings Head and The Potting Shed.

The Apsley Arena once again provides the central stage for countryside pursuits, including rare breed displays, falconry, gun dog demos from Reedlands Retrievers and sheep shearing competitions.

In their own arena is a dog agility course and a fun dog show judged by TV vet, Joe Inglis.

In addition, the Traditional Rural Skills area plays host to blacksmiths, beekeepers, fish smokers, saddlers, thatchers and woodcarvers and more.

There are more animals than ever at this year's Cotswold Show - from goats to meerkats and even a skunk, while equine enthusiasts can expect to be thrilled by the high speed, highly-skilled miniature scurry driving.

From four legs to four wheels, Moto Stunts International, one of the UK's largest car stunt display teams, will be thrilling the crowds with daredevil quad, motorbike and car jump stunts, whilst freestyle mountain bike stunt team, Zero Gravity, have some spectacular displays lined up.

And to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II this year's Show hosts an air display by one of the best‐loved British aircraft of all time: the iconic Rolls-Royce Supermarine Spitfire PS853.

  • To find out more about this year's Cotswold Show & Food Festival visit the Show website cotswoldshow.co.uk