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The Show
Next Show: 13:30 Sun 7th Sept 2025
Duck Derby
Refreshments
Attractions
Crafts & Stalls
Produce Show
Competitions
The Show
Next year the Aldermaston & Wasing Show will be held on Sunday 7th September 2025 in the grounds of The Old Mill, Reading.
Gates will open at 13:30.
Once onsite, parking is free. Please follow the directions by our helpers to the next available parking space.
If you or any of your passengers have accessibility requirements please let the helpers know and they will direct you to alternative parking spaces.
Once parked you can walk to the payment desk after which you will have access to The Old Mill grounds and parts of the house for refreshments and toilets.
Admission Prices for 2025 (TBC)
We accept cash or contactless payments. Stalls and side-shows accept cash only.
| Adults | ยฃ3.00 |
| Children (5-14 years) | ยฃ1.00 |
| O.A.P. | ยฃ2.00 |
| Dogs welcome | FREE |
| Car Park | FREE |
Site Map
Meetings
Committee Meetings are usually held on the second Monday of the month in the Aldermaston Parish Hall Billiard Room commencing 19:30 and usually last between an hour and 90 minutes.
Next Meeting
AGM
Date 2025 TBD
Parish Hall, Billiard Room
Meetings
AGM
Date 2025 TBD
Parish Hall, Billiard Room
If you wish to help us with the show, either in the months leading up to the show, or on Show Day, please feel free to come along to any of the meetings listed above and see how you can volunteer.
Past Winners
Duck Derby 2025
A standout highlight of the Aldermaston & Wasing Show is the ever-popular and renowned Duck Derby which runs throughout the Show afternoon along the mill stream of the Old Mill.
There are up to 10 races in the Duck Derby, each of 100 ducks.
They float along a course set out between the mill pond and the finishing gate at the bridge. The first duck in each heat wins ยฃ40 !!
The top 10 ducks from each race heat, including the first-place duck, advance to the Grand Final.
After 10 races the Grand Final race is run using the top 10 ducks from each heat.
There are huge cash prizes for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed ducks. This year, prize money has more than doubled !!
ยฃ 250 for First place, ยฃ 150 for Second place, ยฃ75 for third place
Buying your tickets
NOTE: Please wait until nearer the Show Date before buying tickets. Tickets are usually ready from May 2025.
You can buy individual tickets at the Show on Sun 7th Sept 2025, or you can buy a book of 5 or a book of 10 tickets (or multiples of) online here.
Online sales will cease before the races start and might only be available up to the day before the race. After that, you will have to buy tickets at the Show.
YouTube
In 2020 we held a virtual Show (remember Covid19?). We still sold Duck Derby tickets online and held 10 races. The whole set of races were recorded and uploaded to YouTube so that the ticket holders could still track their ducks while clutching onto their virtual tickets.
You can watch the video showing all races and commentary by clicking this screenshot.
Produce Show
Up till 1874 when it was abolished, a Fair was held every year in The Street, Aldermaston and this probably explains why this main road running through the old village is so unusually wide.
In the dark days of 1943, villagers got together and decided to stage a Produce Show. The vital need at the time was to “dig for Victory” and the “produce” consisted of home-grown vegetables and, within wartime limits, cookery, floral and other creations. The Show flourished and competition to produce the best in each category was, and still remains, intense.
The show was originally held in the field behind The Hinds Head public house but after 20 years it was moved to the magnificent grounds of The Old Mill, just to the north of the old village and September 2019 saw its 77th consecutive year. Only once has it been cancelled- in 1997 when the funeral of Princess Diana was held on the same day.
The Show offers families a vast range of attractions, displays and events, constantly renewed each year. Also every year, charities are selected to benefit from monies raised.
Over the decades, countless photographs have been taken and a small selection is shown below, with comments beneath each picture. A Duck Derby uses the mill-stream to great effect. Classic events such as children’s races and egg-throwing contests, together with dog contests and demonstrations such as Falconry, make for a wonderful day out for all the family- and the “Produce” competitions are crowned by the award of a splendid range of cups and trophies.
Register Your Entries
Join in and register your entries for the show. You can do this online or by filling in the entry form found in the Schedule.
The Schedule is issued in plenty of time for you to decide what you want to enter (crafts, photos, baking, art, flower arrangement, or produce from your garden) and time to prepare it.
The online entry system will be made available before the paper schedules are printed or made available for download, and using the online system you have extra time before all entries are collected.
If you have used the online entry system before your login details will still be valid. If not, simply register for a new account.
Crafts and Stalls
Craft Pitches – New for 2024
With the increase of footfall at the show over the past 3 years, we are moving the Craft stands out of the large marquee and distributing them around the show site. For stall holders this will providing a larger independent area away from the main Produce Show Marquee, avoiding the stifling heat that can occur in the large marquee. It will allow the patrons to wander around the whole site.
Each pitch will be large enough to accommodate a 3m x 3m gazebo which you will need to provide yourself.
The cost for a pitch will be ยฃ25
Rules for reserving tables and pitches will be published soon.
Stalls for Local Voluntary Groups
The A&W Show has always supported local organisations by providing them with space to advertise their activities and meet and chat to the patrons of the show. Please contact a committee member or complete the form if you would like space for a stall.