on the Tuesday following Easter (with closures on Sundays and Good Friday). During that Thursday, it becomes a Children's Day, when goods such as discounted showbags are on sale. Yielding to pressure from the public, the show was later to be opened on Sundays and Good Friday. With the move to Homebush Bay, the show was extended to 16 days. In 2000 it was reduced to 14 days. In 2007, a revised program took into account changes to NSW School Holidays, the show commencing on the Thursday before Good Friday in order to increase the holiday time for families to attend. In 2017 over 922,000 people attended the show, when about 850,000 were expected. The previous record was 964,000 in 2004. In 2018, the show returned to its traditional 12 days. If Easter falls in March the show is held outside of school holidays. The 2021 show ran from 1 to 12 April, under some restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Attendee numbers were reduced to 60,000 a day to allow maintenance of distancing as well as separate pavilion entries and exits monitored by COVID marshals, maintenance of distancing in queues, and caps on the number of people in arena, pavilions and stands. Venue cleaning was also increased. Attendance was about 800,000. (Inclusive of ticket holders, agricultural and commercial exhibitors, staff, volunteers and other show workers). No cases of COVID-19 were associated with the show. The 2022 show was held from 8 to 19 April. It was officially opened by the Princess Royal. Overview The first purpose of the show is specifically to encourage agriculture. Although other aspects of the show have developed including competitions, entertainment and commerce, the display of the products of rural industry remain of major importance, the RAS claiming 30,000 rural exhibits in 2007. It includes a duck race and a duck fashion show. Show cancellations The Royal Easter Show has been cancelled three times — during the Spanish flu pandemic, the Great Depression and the COVID-19 pandemic — over its almost 200-year history. Pricing On-line early bird ticket prices (tickets bought before midnight the first day of Show) have been frozen since 2016. In 2016 a "twilight ticket' was introduced, giving showgoers a budget friendly opportunity to come to the show for a discounted price after 4pm. Tickets for the show could be purchased on-line via Ticketmaster and from Woolworths Supermarkets where the