The 91-year-old event, designed around agricultural competitions, rides and dagwood dogs, is undergoing serious gentrification in 2019 in a bid to bring the crowds back. Next year, you'll be able to trade showbags and meat pies for a cool can of Bentspoke beer and a spot in the shade listening to live music.

The number of stallholders at next year's Royal Canberra Show is set to more than double, with a focus less on tie-dyed T-shirts, temporary tattoos and hot chips and more on craft beer, locally-produced wine and handmade crafts.

Pialligo Estate and Bentspoke Brewery has signed on as a stallholder in a brand new area called 'Canberra on Show', which will feature 50 stalls in total - 20 of which will be food and beverage stalls.

Royal Canberra Show chief executive Athol Chalmers said Canberra's Greek, Scottish and African community groups are also keen to offer traditional food on-site at the show.

"On one level the Show is fundamentally about promoting agriculture and showcasing agriculture - that's a given - but the other part of the Show is it's a community event," Mr Chalmers said.

"The Show should be an opportunity for the community to get together and show what we've got in Canberra.

"Things are changing ... we're listening to the feedback and designing an event the people of Canberra want."

A stage will be erected in the 'Canberra on Show' area, offering continuous entertainment across all three days of the 2019 event. Mr Chalmers said getting young people through the gates is a big focus for the show society next year, and slashing entry prices is just the beginning.

"It's not just our show but at all shows there's a real problem attracting millenials," Mr Chalmers said.

"It's very much a family event and/or people involved in agriculture in some way. But we need to make it an event that's relevant to young people to ensure its future."

The new food and drink offering is also designed to stop Canberrans "heading home to the suburbs for dinner at the end of the day".

"That's where our thinking is for sure - we want people to stay here and enjoy experiencing the Show into the evening," Mr Chalmers said.

"If they're not into the traditional offerings then the new offerings are designed to entice them to stay.

"More than 80 per cent of people who come to the Show are from Canberra. If we got 10 to 15 per cent of the catchment area [coming], that would really drive our audiences significantly."

Royal Canberra Show, February 22-24, 2019, Exhibition Park.