THE three-day New Forest Show got under way today as the area staged its annual celebration of rural life.
Organisers confidently expect 30,000 visitors per day to pour through the gates of the 38-acre showground at New Park, Brockenhurst.
It is the first show to be staged since it was announced that the New Forest is will gain National Park status.
Long queues built-up on the A337 as people from all over Hampshire headed for the arena.
Among the many highlights of this year's show is a daily appearance by the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, based in Portsmouth.
Other events include sheep racing, the Shetland Pony Grand National and the world pole-climbing championship. Grass walkways have been replaced by stone paths to prevent any repeat of the quagmire caused by heavy rain at last year's event.
About 100,000 spectators are expected to visit the show before it closes on Thursday and motorists are warned to expect the usual traffic bottlenecks in Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst.
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