Country comes to town for The Royal New Zealand Show and the New Zealand Cup, and the province takes the day off to celebrate. The festive atmosphere spreads across the city as fashion followers, farmers and those who like a flutter down tools and flock to the races.
The show has been a popular event in Canterbury since it began in 1859 on the north bank of the Rangitata River. In 1862 the show was held for the first time in Christchurch and a year later the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association was founded and bought 5.6ha (14 acres) in Sydenham in 1894. When the Sydenham site became too small, an 11.7ha (29-acre) block at Addington was purchased from a Mr Twigger.
The Canterbury Show continued at the Addington Showgrounds for another 110 years, until the move to its current site, the Canterbury Agricultural Park in Curletts Road, in 1997.
Read our history of the A & P Show.
Show Day
Some time between 1955 and 1958 the official holiday for the anniversary day of the province was shifted from 16 December (the date of the arrival of the First Four Ships) to the Friday of Show Week. The Friday had been People's Day at the Show for years, but the change meant an official holiday for banks and businesses.
Show Day is now held on the second Friday after the first Tuesday of November. Confused? Well, if you're the only one at work on Friday, you'll know you've got it wrong.
The Royal NZ Show is the largest A&P Show in the country. A Royal Show holds more kudos for livestock exhibitors with international judges.
View heritage photos of the show.
High stakes and high fashion
November is a busy time for the horse racing industry. In addition to the Melbourne Cup, there are two New Zealand Cups, both held in Christchurch. The $750,000 trotting cup is held at Addington Raceway and the $220,000 galloping cup at Riccarton Park Raceway. Addington Raceway has a detailed history on its website plus details of all the fun, fashion and colour of a Canterbury race meeting.
Fashion goes hand in hand with the races and our fashion pages have plenty of advice. If you’d prefer to shop without the research, localeye can guide you to the stylish and the outlandish in its fashion listings.
Canterbury Fashion Week has events and showcases for those who want to be up to the minute in their fashion choices Style will be a must on the calendar. The event is a showcase for the local fashion industry and promises to be a highlight of the week.
Resource of the week:
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