IT is showtime – and Hampshire’s annual celebration of rural life is set to prove as popular as ever.

Thousands of people are expected to flock to New Park, Brockenhurst, today for the opening of the New Forest and Hampshire County Show.

Organisers of the county’s biggest summer spectacular are preparing to welcome at least 95,000 spectators over the next three days.

The biggest crowds are likely to be seen tomorrow, when all eyes will be on the Earl and Countess of Wessex as they tour the 35-acre showground.

Other VIP visitors will include Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner, Simon Hayes, and the BBC’s political editor, Nick Robinson, who is making a documentary about the British.

Last year the Queen visited the show to mark the end of her Diamond Jubilee tour and planted an oak tree that is now 7ft tall.

This year’s event includes daily displays by the Devil’s Horsemen, an internationally renowned stunt team who perform gravity-defying acrobatics in the saddle.

Yesterday officials and their army of volunteer helpers were putting the finishing touches to the home of the Daily Echo-backed show.

Show secretary Denis Dooley said: “It’s one of the biggest shows on one of the smallest show grounds on the agricultural circuit. When you get 95,000 people visiting a 35-acre site it creates a unique atmosphere. There’s a real buzz that people love.”

The theme of this year’s show is Get Involved, which gives visitors a chance to take part in a wide range of unusual activities.