Sundsvall, August 1918

The Fest Revolt of Sundsvall

In August 1918 the Spanish flu exploded in Sundsvall. The health board understood the danger and issued strong warnings in the local papers, forbidding or strongly discouraging public entertainments and large gatherings. The citizens answered with what the board later had to admit was a 'trotsrevolt'. Their warnings, the minutes recorded, had been 'of no value whatsoever'. More people than usual crowded the dance halls, restaurants and pleasure gardens, dancing and drinking while the pandemic raged. The city survived the sickness. The memory of defiance survived longer.