Ekka the scene of stars and show bags

Dagwood dogs, strawberry sundaes and the highly sought-after Bertie Beetle show bags are back in the hands of Queenslanders after two years of Covid ­shutdown.

Hollywood superstar Matt Damon at the Ekka with Kayla Boyd, wife of former NRL Broncos captain Darius Boyd.

Dagwood dogs, strawberry sundaes and the highly sought-after Bertie Beetle show bags are back in the hands of Queenslanders after two years of Covid ­shutdown, signalling the return of the state’s much-loved annual show, the Ekka.

In 1876, the very first Ekka was held and each of the 17,000 ­people in attendance offered the event’s first show bag, a bag of coal.

Now in its 142nd year, the ­“People’s Day” public holiday in Brisbane showed the annual event when “city meets the country” is still popular with its mainstays of animal, agricultural and craft competitions, rides and sideshow alley.

While the Ekka was cancelled for two consecutive years due to Covid, it’s not the first time the event has shut down due to global factors. The 1919 and 1942 shows were cancelled due to the influenza epidemic and World War II.

A total turnout of 50,000 on Wednesday was expected, just 10,000 down on “People’s Day” in 2019.

Crowds at the Ekka on Wednesday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland chief executive Brendan Christou said he noticed the ­reduced attendance but that spirits were high on the Ekka’s busiest day. “There’s a real excitement and buzz around the show,” Mr Christou said.

“I guess after the forced break because of Covid-19, southeast Queensland is so happy to have the show back.

“You get that feeling … it’s kind of a much needed celebration where the state and country kind of come together.

“Definitely the numbers are down on (pre-pandemic) levels.­ ­Certainly, because of people’s cautiousness around Covid, ­particularly the older people … they’re not as prevalent as they normally would (be), which is understandable.”

But fears around infection are not just exclusive to humans, as foot-and-mouth disease fears also reaching the Ekka, with a small drop in heads of cattle ­compared to pre-pandemic: 2019 saw 1700 head of cattle, 500 more than the 1200 head this year.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton eats a dagwood dog at the Ekka. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Among the tens of thousands of attendees was A-lister Matt Damon who was pictured browsing the show bags in a photo with former NRL Broncos captain Darius Boyd’s wife, Kayla Boyd.

The Ekka will run through to the end of the week and is expected to generate $220m for the ­Brisbane economy.