Spanning 600 acres with more than 1,700 exhibitors, the National Ploughing Championship is the largest outdoor event of its kind in Europe. While the ploughing competition is the main event, there’s lots to see and do over the three day festivities, so grab your jacket and your best footwear and see what’s on offer!

The details:

You can buy tickets for the National Ploughing Championship on npa.ie. ( http://www.npa.ie/ticketsmenu/) You’ll pay €20 for adults and €15 for seniors and secondary students. Kids under 12 are free.

What to expect at Ploughing 2018:

There’s free parking for anyone driving to the event, but there’s no hard core so make sure you’re wearing the right footwear. The car parks will be colour-coded with images of animals and numbers on each entrance and exit, making it easy to find your car when it’s time to leave.

The exhibition is open each day 9.00–6.00, with entertainment between 10.00 and 6.00, ploughing competitions from 10.30 – 2.30 and fashion shows each day at 11.30, 1.30, and 3.30.

There’s more than 100 acres of trade exhibitions, but with free maps and stand listings, you won’t miss a thing. You’ll also find ATMs, playground, picnic areas, bars and food courts, and lots more.

What not to miss:

Tuesday’s highlights include the HSI Young Handler Competition, which begins at 9.00, the first semi-final of the National Brown Bread Baking Competition at 1.30 and the Enterprise Ireland New Zealand Agritech Innovation talk, starting at 4.00.

Wednesday’s programme includes the second semi-final of the National Brown Bread Baking Competition at 1.30, the Farmerette Conventional Plough Class Competition, the Junior Hunt Chase at 12.00 and the Enterprise Ireland Agritech panel discussion, also at 12.00.

Thursday brings the Senior Hunt Chase at 12.00, the final of the Brown Bread Baking Competition at 1.30 and the last nine ploughing events, from 10.30.

Here’s a top tip. Pick the things you most want to see and do, check the events schedules, map out your journey and give yourself enough time to get around comfortably.

We’ve proudly launched our newest product, AXA Smart Farm. Look out for the Smart Farm stand and come by to say hello! Check your maps: You’ll find us at Block 2, Row 8, Stand 192.

Whether you go to the Ploughing every year, or are heading there for the first time, 2018 promises to be full of lots of fun and excitement for everyone in the family!

To learn more about AXA Smart Farm, visit axa.ie/farm.

AXA Insurance dac is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.