The closure of public places during the 1918 influenza pandemic gives an idea of some of the popular entertainment options at the time: theatres, dance halls, billiard rooms, shooting galleries. In some parts of the country it was requested that places used for race meetings were closed but in Christchurch Carnival Week, with race meetings at Riccarton and Addington, went ahead. It a popular event that attracted people from all over the country - so popular that hotels and guest houses in the city were always full. Agricultural Shows were also cancelled in other parts of the country but one of the largest of these went ahead in Christchurch during Carnival Week. For many country families the annual show of the Canterbury Agricultural & Pastoral Association was their annual holiday away from the farm. It was also requested that church services be reduced - most people attended church services on Sundays. Information from Geoffrey Rice, Black November, 2005