The British Homing World Show of the Year is a two-day event held every January at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. In its 55th year, the Show will welcome visitors from across the United Kingdom and around the world. For pigeon fanciers from the UK and Ireland, it is a highlight of the calendar: an opportunity to show their birds, renew old friendships and make new ones while celebrating the traditions of this historic community.

Each year, the Show features trade stands, a charity pigeon auction and raffles, alongside the showing and judging of more than 1,500 of the UK’s top homing pigeons. We also maintain our links with the fancy pigeon community, which will again stage its own show on the Olympia Balcony in 2027.

Last year, we were delighted to see attendance rise again, continuing the growth of recent years and restoring the Show as a bustling winter hub for pigeon fanciers. Many visitors gave excellent feedback, while the busy bars and hotels in the Winter Gardens and across Blackpool reflected the event’s wider appeal. We are often asked why the Show is not limited to one day; the atmosphere throughout Blackpool provides the answer and is something every pigeon fancier should experience.

As costs continue to rise, maintaining the Show’s principles becomes increasingly challenging. However, I am pleased that our 2027 prices will remain at 2026 levels, thanks to stronger attendance and the generosity of our sponsors and donors. Their support reflects the event’s importance in the pigeon calendar.

We are very grateful to all who support us in this venture, whether they be sponsors, those donating raffle prizes or pigeons for our auction, competitors, trade stand holders or just attending the show. It rewards the immense amount of work invested by the committee and a dedicated RPRA staff, as well as all of those who give their time freely to make the show the event it is.

To close I would like to remind you that the 2028 Show will take place on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th January 2028, rather than the traditional third weekend of January. As previously announced, the RPRA had been honoured to be selected to host the FCI Racing Pigeon Olympiad in 2028, with the event scheduled for 27th–30th January to accommodate international qualifying show commitments. Regrettably, due to ongoing restrictions surrounding the cross-border movement of birds, which have proved impossible to resolve, the difficult decision has recently been taken to cancel the 2028 FCI Racing Pigeon Olympiad in the UK, however the Show of the Year will go ahead on the revised dates.

I look forward to seeing you in January.

Yours in sport

David Trippett
Chairman
BHW Show of the Year Committee