Setting the stage around the grounds

Months before the Easter Show, Lynelle spends time at the Olympic Park offices to scout for new talent. “I start off each morning with a macchiato to get going,” she shares. “I'm usually in the office from 6:00 [or 6:30] in the morning; I'm an early bird person. I will come in, and I spend an hour searching social media of all my colleagues internationally; what they're doing, what they're doing around the grounds, and what's hot and what's not.”

Much of these early mornings help prepare for her weekly meetings within the International Association of Fairs and Exposition (IAFE) outside Australia, including those from the United States and Canada; some of these meetings even start as early as 2:00 in the morning.

Lynelle describes her approach to talent scouting as “old school”, but effective. “I still use Facebook,” she says. “I'm not really into Instagram or other platforms. I also spend a lot of time on YouTube.” Her scheduling process is equally straightforward and organised. “I'm an Excel-sheet girl,” she explains. “I list all my venues in a single daily document and program them from 8am right through to 10pm each night.”

Lynelle is also an active member of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE), an industry body that supports agricultural fairs, shows and exhibitions worldwide. Each year, she joins fellow entertainment professionals at the organisation’s annual trade show in the United States, a key destination for discovering new acts and attractions.

“That’s where we find the international headline artists,” she says. “It’s like walking into Woolworths or Coles. There are more than 700 entertainers there. You meet them, see what they have to offer and what they can showcase.”

The event has been the source of several successful bookings over the years. “That’s where I found the Milord Entertainment High Dive Show,” Lynelle says. “It’s also where I secured the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, The Conjurer, the Unicycling Unicorn, and connected with David Smith, The Bullet Human Cannonball. Each of these unique acts has gone on to become a memorable part of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Every IAFE Convention introduces me to new entertainment concepts, talented performers and innovative experiences that I can bring back to Sydney, ensuring the Show continues to evolve and delight our patrons year after year.”

Acts are programmed according to both the requirements of the venue and the practical needs of the performers themselves. For example, Lynelle schedules track-based attractions such as Airtime Freestyle MotoX’s Chicken Run! at ENGIE Stadium during lunchtime and evening sessions. “A track-based act allows us to set up and strike the Main Arena centre,” she explains. “The entertainment doesn’t stop. The whole program is continuous all the way through.”

ENGIE Stadium is also home to some of the Show’s most ambitious animal spectacles, from galloping horse displays to thundering bison stampedes. Among the regular favourites is horseman Dave Manchon, who returned this year with A Tribute to Banjo and Imagine a Horse. Reflecting on the latter, Lynelle recalls one particularly memorable moment.

“I think the highlight of this year’s show was having Pink Pony Club,” she says, referring to the Chappell Roan hit that accompanied a performance featuring horses dyed pink. “Every night after the performance they were washed, and then the pink chalk was reapplied the following afternoon.”

      

Meanwhile, the Amphitheatre features smaller performances from a cast of children’s television characters – Dorothy the Dinosaur, the Wiggles and Bluey are especially popular among families coming in for the school holidays. 

Other times, community dance groups will take centre stage. According to Lynelle, dancers are expected to submit an online audition. “They have to send in a three-minute clip of a performance,” Lynelle says. She further elaborates that the auditions are then adjudicated and scored by herself and a judging panel. “We spend a day and a half adjudicating them. We will get up to about 170 applications, and we've only got room for 50.

“Auditions are a good thing … because you see your costumes, you see your music and [your] style.”

      

Showtime at the Show

Once the Show begins, Lynelle works around the clock from sunrise to sunset. “My day starts at 5am,” she shares. “I start with a coffee – you can see there's a lot of caffeine involved in my job – then I go around and check out all my venues.” With her cuppa in hand, she checks in with all her spots ahead of the crowd, including Davidson Plaza, the Intersection, Honky Tonk Bar and Stage, and the Amphitheatre.

She cites at the 2026 Show the Good Samaritan Donkey Sanctuary was one of her favourite places to visit during her morning check-ins. “I'll stop for about 20 minutes and hang with the donkeys that are in their sanctuary … it's great to have a coffee, watch the sun come up and watch the animals wake up. It's a great way to start off your day. Very serene.”

      

By 6am, Lynelle will then touch base with her team at the compound where, over breakfast, they “work out [their] days” and discuss what’s happening around the grounds. “And at 7:00,” she elaborates “I say ‘See ya. Good luck and I'll see you around the tracks.’”

Of all the venues under her care, ENGIE Stadium’s Main Arena demands the greatest on-site attention. “We have our production meetings at 10:00 every morning,” Lynelle explains, “to make sure everything’s going okay and to address any changes that might be needed if inclement weather is approaching.”

As the day draws to a close, Lynelle completes one final circuit of the grounds, checking in on venues including the Cattleman’s Bar and Members’ Bar. “By midnight, we shut down and start getting people out,” she says. “I’ll usually have another cup of coffee with my team, making sure everyone’s okay and discussing any issues we need to address the next morning. Then it’s home to bed for a few hours’ sleep, and we start again at 5am.”

“My day starts at 5am. I start with a coffee ... then I go around and check out all my venues.”

Big hits at ENGIE Stadium

ENGIE Stadium is known for attracting some of the fan favourites at the Easter Show, including Airtime Freestyle MotoX, hosted by veteran announcer Tommy G. The iconic team of motorcyclists has been programmed at the Easter Show for 26 years, impressing Showgoers with daredevil tricks and wild flips.

“They’re a motorsport act with broad family appeal,” Lynelle says. “From young children right through to grandparents, everyone can sit back and enjoy the show.”

Also joining the action is Chicken Run!, a light-hearted stunt show featuring farmyard animals tearing around the arena on quad bikes. The colourful characters are brought to life by the Airtime Freestyle MotoX team, with riders swapping their motocross gear for full-body animal costumes.

“I actually said, ‘Okay, what other acts can you bring with you?’” Lynelle recalls. “So that's how we created Chicken Run!. It's a fun little event.”

Lynelle understands exactly why the show resonates with family audiences. “I think it's the sound and the noise,” she says. “And the kids always love the chase.”

“They're a motorised sports act and they’re family orientated. Little ones through the grandmas will sit and watch it.”

Lynelle points to Kain Saul, one of Airtime Freestyle MotoX’s star riders, as a perfect example of the show’s tongue-in-cheek appeal. In the motocross arena, Saul is a fan favourite renowned for his skill and daring stunts. In Chicken Run!, however, he takes on a very different role as the mischievous Fox.

“He's been one of my riders, and everybody cheers him on,” Lynelle says. “He's the best of the best. But to see him go out in the fox suit and get booed, it is the funniest thing, because he's always a hero in his other roles. He's the number one at Airtime Freestyle MotoX, but he's the baddie in Chicken Run!.”

Elsewhere, newer attractions such as the K9 Superwall Challenge have quickly become crowd favourites. Hosted by Farmer Dave and “Shearer Shaun”, the competition sees dogs and their handlers attempt increasingly difficult high jumps over a timber wall that rises with each round.

Presented exclusively in the evening program, the event returned this year for a second season and may well be back again. Lynelle believes its success lies in the emotional connection audiences develop with the competing dogs.

“I think it's the underdog, excuse the pun,” she says. “People like to see the competition, especially when you play up the State of Origin rivalry, state versus state. You’ve got small dogs versus big dogs and everything in between. It really pulls at the heart strings.”