Royal Welsh Show 2024 - what you need to know

The Royal Welsh Show got under way on Monday, marking 120 years since the annual agricultural show first began.

The four-day event, held at Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells in Powys, usually attracts about 250,000 people from 40 different countries.

It is an agricultural festival that takes place every summer and aims to showcase the best of Welsh livestock.

This year's event begins on 22 July and ends on 25 July.

There are various events which take place each year, including the judging of sheep, cattle, pigs and horses, sheepdog trials and carriage driving displays.

There are also stalls and exhibitions, displays of country sports and traditional Welsh crafts.

It is not unusual for the show to welcome a royal visitor.

King Charles III was recently made patron of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society and has visited the festival a number of times - including in 2013, the day after his first grandson, Prince George, was born.

A member of the crowd greeted him with a cry of "congratulations granddad!"

There are a variety of competitions that take place throughout the four days.

Many of these involve livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and goats, with almost 7,000 animals being exhibited.

There is also a variety of non-livestock competitions - ranging from floral displays to stick making, wood chopping and a tug-of-war.

This year there will also be a horticultural village, featuring a variety of gardens with different themes.

The show's director, Richard Price, said the new village would be "a celebration of community and commercial growing".

It is due to be officially opened by BBC Gardeners' World presenter Sue Kent.

What many visitors regard as the highlight of the week is cob day, which is traditionally held on Wednesday afternoon.

More than 50 Welsh cobs - horses - are paraded in front of a packed crowd before being judged in the main ring.

They compete for the ultimate prize, the George Prince of Wales Cup.

The show takes place in the village of Llanelwedd at the permanent Royal Welsh Showground, a 150-acre site built in 1963.

Before the showground was built, the annual agricultural show was held at no fewer than 37 different locations, alternating between north and south of Wales.

The showground is located where the A470 and A483 cross and free parking is available at the bottom end of the showground.

There are free park and ride car parks on all the main routes to the showground, with buses running between 07:30 BST and 21:30 each day.

For visitors coming by train, the nearest station is at Builth Road, just over one mile (1.6km) away from the showground.

The T4 bus route between Newtown and Cardiff stops at both Builth Wells and Llanelwedd, a short distance from the showground.

BBC Wales Today will broadcast each evening from The Royal Welsh Showground, with a special Wales Today programme at 20:00 on Thursday.

Welsh language viewers will find S4C broadcasting live from The Royal Welsh Show every day from 09:00 to 17:00.

It is too early to say for sure, but the forecast for the first half of the show appears to be dry, if a little cloudy, with average temperatures of about 19C (66F).

You can keep up to date with the latest weather forecasts for Builth Wells here.

• Watch: The story of the Royal Welsh Show
• The history of the Royal Welsh Show
• How to follow the Royal Welsh Show on BBC Cymru Wales