A burger at the Royal Queensland Show attracted a lot of attention for its $55 price tag, but the actual burger on offer is very different from the photo. (Source: AAP/Reddit)
Brisbane’s iconic Ekka Show has defended the price of a burger after Australians complained it was far too expensive at first glance. The Royal Queensland Show attracts more than 400,000 people every year, and some had to do a double-take after seeing what was on offer at one food stall at the 2025 edition.
A sign showed the Blockbuster Burger and Chips would set you back $55, and many thought that was a huge “rort” for a single meal. The “Ekka special” was listed underneath a photo of a very normal-looking burger.
However, a spokesperson for the Ekka told Yahoo Finance the Blockbuster is far from normal.
A concerned Ekka-goer posted an image of the food stall menu online, asking how anyone could charge $55 for what looked like a stock-standard burger.
It didn’t take long for many to be similarly shocked at the price.
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“Jesus Christ,” said one person.
“$14 is a totally worth-it price for a nice burger at the Ekka,” added another.
“I’d even go $30 for a really nice burger restaurant. I’d have to be clinically insane to spend $55 on an Ekka burger. I’m expecting several T-bone steaks in my burger at that price.”
“That burger is more expensive than the ticket to enter the Ekka,” wrote a third.
However, the photo shown on the menu isn’t what you would actually get on your plate if you ordered the Blockbuster.
“The actual Blockbuster burger is huge and served in a hollowed half loaf of bread and is packed full of fillings,” the spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.
The meal has been designed for two people, but the spokesperson said three or more people could dig into it as well.
The same retailer offering the Blockbuster also has burgers and meals priced from $9.50 to $22.
The Ekka spokesperson said there are more than 110 food vendors dotted across the showgrounds, and some offer items for $10 or less.
Major annual events across the country have attracted negative attention in recent times due to rising ticket, food, and ride prices.
The 2025 edition of the Sydney Royal Easter Show copped a spray after attendees were shocked at $22 cups of gnocchi and the $20 Bertie Beetle showbag.
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Some parents said the outing cost them more than $500 to take their family to the iconic event.
Tickets for this year’s Royal Adelaide Show, meanwhile, have gone up slightly, with the $67 family ticket rising by $2.50 compared to 2024, and concession tickets are also up by $1.
Some said after last year’s event, these annual outings had become a “luxury”.
Sydney’s annual lights festival, Vivid, also received backlash for the same reason.
Nariman Dein was shocked when she saw how much it cost to attend just one event at Vivid last year. (Source: TikTok) · Source: TikTok
Nariman Dein hit out at Vivid’s Dark Spectrum: A New Journey event in Wynyard Tunnels, as single tickets were $51, while a family of four would have to pay $174.
“You’re telling me in this economy if I had a child or two children, I would have to pay that much money to only look at lights and then also pay for food and all of that stuff,” Dein said. “Are you serious? Really?” she told Yahoo Finance.
People also rallied against an $8.50 sausage sandwich being sold at Vivid last year.
Vivid has justified the price for the Aussie staple item as it was “cooked by a professional chef”.
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