If you went to the Ekka between 2017 and 2023, you probably walked past the bright yellow RACQ bean bags on the grass beside the main arena. They were ours. And for six years it was the same set of bean bags going back every August.
That's the part of this job I'm proudest of. Event bean bags usually have a short, hard life. These ones came back to us after every show, got cleaned and refilled, and went out again looking like new.
The Ekka
The Royal Queensland Show has been running since 1876, when the first one drew somewhere around 15,000 people at Bowen Park. That was most of Brisbane at the time. It's been held at the Brisbane Showgrounds in Bowen Hills ever since, and these days it pulls well over 400,000 people across nine days every August. The 2025 show drew more than 428,000, the biggest crowd since 2008.
It has only been cancelled a handful of times: in 1919 for the flu epidemic, in 1942 during the war, and in 2020 and 2021 for COVID. This year's show, 8 to 16 August 2026, marked 150 years since the first one.
RACQ at the show
RACQ ran the RACQ Clubhouse at the Ekka, with a spot for members to take a break, freebies, and the odd Brisbane Lions player dropping in. The bean bags went on the grass slope beside the main arena, where people could sit and watch the cattle judging during the day and the arena events at night.
What we supplied
About 20 Merlin chairs in bright RACQ yellow, with the RACQ logo printed on the back. The Merlin is our high-back chair. It holds you upright enough to watch what's happening in the arena, and each one takes around 300 litres of beans.
The yellow did a lot of work. On a green slope next to a dirt arena, you could see those bean bags from the other side of the showgrounds. And with the logo on the back, every person sitting in one was facing the arena while the logo faced everyone walking past.
How one set lasted six years
Nine days at the Ekka is hard on anything. There's dust from the arena, grass stains, food, drinks, sunscreen, and the odd downpour. Most event bean bags would be binned after a show like that. These went back to work every year.
After each show, the routine was the same:
- We picked the bean bags up from RACQ's storage unit and brought them back to our place.
- We emptied the beans out of each cover into its inner liner, so nothing ended up all over the floor.
- We washed the covers. A good soak in Vanish brought them up like new every time.
- We dried them properly. One year they came back soaked, so we dried out the beans as well.
- We refilled each one to around 300 litres, topping up the beans that had compressed, and wrapped them in plastic.
- We delivered them back to storage, ready for the next show.
The Ekka was cancelled in 2020 and 2021, but the bean bags came back out when the show returned in 2022 and kept going until 2023. Six years out of one set of bean bags is a huge result for event furniture. It's what happens when the covers can be washed, the beans sit in a separate liner, and someone looks after them between shows.
What it means if you're buying event bean bags
If you're planning branded bean bags for a show, festival or sponsorship, here's what I'd take from this job:
- Buy once and look after them. A set you clean and refill between events will outlast several sets of cheaper ones.
- Insist on inner liners. They make cleaning possible without a snowstorm of beans.
- Plan the storage. Dry, covered and in one place, so they come out ready to go.
- Budget for topping up. Beans compress with use, and a flat bean bag looks tired even when the cover is clean.
Planning an event in Brisbane?
Have a look at our custom and branded bean bags, the Merlin and my festival seating guide. If you're local, our Brisbane bean bags page covers next-day delivery, and you can see more of our Brisbane work at Howard Smith Wharves and The Star Brisbane.
Call me on 1800 888 911 with your event dates and numbers.
Debra DeBoer
Bean Bags R Us
