Anglesey plays host to an enviable year-round programme of events, so whenever you choose to visit, there’s bound to be something going on.

Use our events search to create your perfect break.

To the untrained eye one Hereford bull probably looks much like another. But to John Astley every tonne of beef on the hoof tells a different story.

Because John is a cattle judge at the Anglesey Show. What he doesn’t know about bulls isn’t worth knowing. And he’ll examine every prize specimen from muzzle to tail before he announces the champion.

“I’ve been around a long time and I have a bit of experience in dealing with various breeds,” says John. “In the end you want something with a bit of size - a bit of a wow factor.”

Which pretty much sums up the entire event. For two days every August on the Anglesey showground at Gwalchmai, the whole of Anglesey comes together to celebrate our bountiful island. 

And it’s a very big deal. The second-largest agricultural show in Wales: 57,000 visitors, 3,000 exhibitors and 350 trade stands spread over 160 acres. In 2012 it celebrates its 125th year at the heart of the rural community.

“Coming to the Anglesey Show is a great way to get out and communicate with other farmers,” says Sonia Davies of Cefn Coch Farm at Cemaes.  “That’s far more important than winning.”

Although that’s easy to say when your Holsteins are already festooned with rosettes. And when your daughter is leading a calf called Betty Boo around the show ring in the Young Handlers class. 

This good-natured rivalry gives the show its unique, buzzy atmosphere. It’s like a Sunday fête on steroids. Because we don’t just have any old vegetable competition – we hold The National Tap Root Championship of Great Britain. – this competition circulates around UK, only held at Anglesey Show last 2/3 years. 

There are so many classes in the produce marquee that you can win a prize for “four chocolate éclairs”. Even the fast food is a bit special – venison, wild boar and a hog roast made with rare breed Gloucestershire Old Spots.

The Anglesey Show might be our biggest event but it’s also the most typical. Because like all our carnivals, regattas, sheepdog trials, concerts and eisteddfodau, it’s rooted in a sense of place. And it makes a point of welcoming visitors.

We like to think we cater for all tastes. We have an oyster festival for foodies. A beer festival for tipplers. An arts festival for culture vultures and a walking festival for walkers. And, being an island, we lay on a maritime festival for anyone interested in the sea.