The Game Fair 2024 show guide
The Field’s essential insight into what to do and what not to miss at The Game Fair 2024, this year taking place at Blenheim Palace
For its 66th anniversary year, The Game Fair returns to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire for the first time in a decade. Close to 130,000 visitors are expected to attend the event, which runs from Friday, 26 July to Sunday, 28 July, and it promises to be a spectacular celebration of fieldsports and country life. The 300-year-old palace, on the edge of Woodstock and home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough, is surrounded by 12,000 acres of the finest countryside. It is also famous as the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. Since The Game Fair’s inception in 1958, The Field has been present at every show, and 2024 is no different. We are delighted to be returning to Blenheim and look forward to meeting our readers, new subscribers and sporting friends, as well as making the most of all The Game Fair has to offer. Here’s our inimitable guide to what not to miss this year at The Game Fair 2024.
Gunmakers’ Row
An unrivalled showcase of top sporting brands – from Holland & Holland, Boss & Co and Longthorne to Beretta, Rizzini and EJ Churchill – will be introducing their latest shotguns, rifles, airguns and accessories alongside old favourites. Coats, trousers, gumboots and all manner of shooting paraphernalia will line each side of the Row, which is one of The Game Fair’s most popular areas. Be sure to visit the Gunmakers’ Theatre to learn about the skills and stories behind guns, and get expert advice on buying a gun at auction, firearm security, customising English guns, and sporting optics.
The Field
You will find our stand at the heart of the show, between the Main Arena and Gunmakers’ Row – look for The Field flags. No Game Fair is complete without a complimentary copy of The Field, which you can pick up along with The Field Junior: our brand-new magazine for eight- to 16-year-olds. Don’t miss the chance to take out a subscription using our excellent show offer, which includes a free gift (scroll down for more information), when you visit our stand.
Shopping and lifestyle
We love the shopping at The Game Fair and one of the biggest draws for visitors is the variety of excellent products on offer, from the perfect slip-lead and a dog bed for the new puppy to armfuls of kit for the season ahead. Whatever you are looking for, you will find it here: country essentials; the latest fashions, both on and off the field; art; antiques; and garden ornaments. Sculptor Fred Gordon will be exhibiting at the show on Collier & Dobson’s stand: a good opportunity to see his work up close.
As the high point of the countryside calendar, The Game Fair is often where brands choose to launch new products and customers can take advantage of superb show offers. This month’s Kit to Covert picks out some of the highlights: think Yeti coolers, silk scarves, smart gilets and covetable shot glasses.
Food and drink
While we’re not there just for the food (well, maybe some of us are…) it is impossible not to eat well on site. It’s a great chance to stock up on a cornucopia of traditional favourites from cheese, venison and cider to scotch eggs, pies and gin. The larder will be suitably replenished – if the goodies make it home.
For show-walking sustenance, don’t miss a favourite stand of ours from Field writer Tom Godber-Ford Moore (also known as The Game Chef). There you can enjoy pheasant goujons doused with moreish garlic or chipotle sauce: a firm Field favourite. And when the need for a pick-me-up strikes, the VIP Enclosure’s bar mixes a mean cocktail.
Demonstrations
Chef José Souto will be hosting cooking demonstrations in the BASC Wild Food Theatre, accompanied by JLS singer-turned-farmer JB Gill, offering his top tips for perfect preparation and cooking of game. A host of other chefs and celebrities, including Mark Kempson and Rachel Green, will be revealing their game-cooking secrets too.
Does your gundog prefer the Aga to the peg? If so, head to one of the daily demonstrations in the Working Dog Ring. Held by professional trainers, these will be providing tips on how to improve your four-legged friend’s abilities both at home and in the field.
Over in the Horses & Hounds Ring there will be daily Pony Club demonstrations and the chance to meet hounds from three different packs. A variety of breeds, from deerhounds to beagles, will grace the ring each day, accompanied by hunt staff who will explain the hounds’ role in hunting. Suffolk Punch horses will also be on show. These majestic animals are critically endangered, so this is a wonderful opportunity to see them up close. There will be daily falconry demonstrations too, giving visitors the chance to increase their knowledge of this ancient sport.
Have a go
Ever wanted to tie your own fishing fly or hit a bullseye? For those keen on new experiences, The Game Fair 2024 is the perfect venue. The airgun range and Shooting Line are ideal for visitors yearning to dust some clays or shoot at a target. Dogs can be entered into open, scramble and scurry competitions, with daily prizes awarded. Fancy trying your hand at polo? Oxford Polo will be on hand to teach you how to swing that mallet.
The beautiful River Glyme, which runs through the grounds of Blenheim, offers visitors ample opportunity to try coarse or fly-fishing, and perhaps even catch their first fish. For budding young motorists, a scaled-down Land Rover experience, driving ‘Mini Landers’ around a specially built track, provides an exciting way to test their skills behind the wheel.
Main Arena
The Main Arena at the heart of the show is the perfect place to stop and watch. The Shetland Pony Grand National is a must-see for those who enjoy cheering on their chosen favourite. Hounds will be paraded around the square, and the Pony Club Mounted Games will be hotly contested over the course of the three days.
Birds of prey will swoop across the arena, handled by Charlotte Souto of CJ Birds of Prey, while expert gundog trainer Jason Mayhew will be demonstrating training exercises for your canine companion. There will also be a chance to witness terrier racing, which is certainly worth adding to your watchlist if you have never seen it before.
Game Fair Theatre
Charlie Jacoby, from Fieldsports Channel, will once again host The Game Fair Theatre’s three-day chat show. There will be new guests taking to the stage every 20 minutes from the worlds of hunting, fishing and shooting, discussing the latest countryside matters and more.
Gundogs
Watching a perfectly trained gundog at work is something rather special, showcasing the amazing bond between handler and canine. The show has been holding prestigious gundog events for more than 60 years, and this year sees the Euro Challenge and Home International competitions return once again. Alongside displays and competitions, there are exhibitors, breeders and trainers on hand ready to share their words of wisdom on everything from feeding a new puppy to ironing out training issues. Plus, you might want to spoil your canine companion with a treat or two.
Fishing
Whether you are a seasoned angler with bags of experience, a keen hobbyist looking for tips to improve or you simply want to catch your first fish, then the Get Into Fishing Village is the place to go. There will be plenty of action on The Landing Stage Fishing Theatre as celebrities and professional anglers such as Jeremy Wade, Marina Gibson and Hywel Morgan debate the hot fishing topics and provide demonstrations. This will include an antique tackle roadshow where visitors can have their old and cherished fishing gear valued by resident experts.
The wide range of exhibitors and displays will encompass all forms of fishing (fly, coarse, lure and sea) with every type of fishing kit imaginable. Whatever your level of interest, you’ll find something to get you hooked in the Fishing Village.
Staying overnight
Anyone keen on camping and short walks back to bed should consider using The Game Fair as their base camp. The show welcomes caravans, camper vans and tents to pitch up on the 10m x 10m plots just a short distance from the main show. If you prefer something a little more luxurious, the ‘glampsite’ is the perfect place to spend the weekend. Boasting dedicated toilets and showers, plus access to a pamper tent as well as a range of catering concessions, it’s the perfect place to unwind after a busy day at the show.
VIP Enclosure
Celebrity chef James Martin will be returning to host the ever-popular VIP Enclosure, where visitors can relax and enjoy a front-row seat to the Main Arena. Guests will also be able to indulge in some fine cuisine, with many of the ingredients sourced from the Blenheim estate or the surrounding area.
One of the country’s top bartenders, Merlin Griffiths of Channel 4’s First Dates, will be shaking things up at the bar, showcasing two cocktails he created exclusively for the event: a Rose Garden Spritz and Devil-May-Care.
Popular television personalities and stars of the series Escape to the Chateau, Dick and Angel Strawbridge, will be hosting the VIP Enclosure alongside James Martin on the Sunday, adding an extra layer of culinary expertise and crafting know-how to the mix.
For more details, visit: thegamefair.org
A Field exclusive at The Game Fair 2024
Pick up a subscription to The Field and enjoy our special offer worth more than £150
We look forward to welcoming you to our stand, located between the Main Arena and Gunmakers’ Row. Meet the team, pick up a free copy of the August issue, plus our inaugural Field Junior, and take advantage of our extraordinary show subscription offer. Subscribe from £25 and receive a 30% discount, a bottle of champagne and a Bronze VIP member’s badge (worth £99), allowing access to the VIP Enclosure with its exclusive lounge, garden, cash bar and loos without the queue.
Advance tickets
Field readers can also take advantage of an exclusive advance ticket offer for the show – £29 per ticket, including premium forward parking. Simply use the code FIELD66 on The Game Fair’s website (thegamefair.org)