7 October 2005 Music Festival Atmosphere Emphasised in Lincoln Students' Garden Party

Lincoln University students mark the end of lectures for the year with their annual campus 'Garden Party' from 11am - 4pm today, Friday 7 October.

Three Christchurch bands – Four Man Bob, Dialysis and Sojourn – will entertain the students, in a continuation of the 'Music Festival' format established for Garden Party last year.

Lincoln University Students' Association President Andrew Gage welcomes the evolution of Garden Party into a Music Festival and says there are heaps of features in place to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable time.

These include a free breakfast/brunch in the Dining Hall available to all students attending Garden Party, not just residential students, before the start of the event; free buses back into the city at the end of the afternoon with security staff on board to ensure everyone has a safe journey; and a dedicated campus waiting point for friends and parents to collect those not making use of the buses.

In addition, throughout the event, there will be free sausages and free non-alcoholic drink available on the site along with purchasable food.

"The bottom line is that there will be no tolerance of intoxication. If you're 'out of it' you won't get 'into it'. And if you are 'into it' and get 'out of it' you will be guided away from the venue to a supervised 'time out' area.

"Security will be as tolerant as possible but firm," says Mr Gage.

Lincoln Hospitality Ltd Catering Manager Heather Watson says that the organisers of Garden Party take the 'host responsibility' obligation very seriously.

"All the key staff involved with Garden Party have attended a Host Responsibility course run by Crown Public Health,” she says.

"We have worked very closely with the University's management, the Police, the University's security contractors and Crown Public Health to put together a supervised and hopefully safe event where students who, it must be remembered, are basically young people at a carefree stage in their lives, can enjoy themselves after their year's work."

Garden Party's venue is a secured area of the playing field adjacent to the Recreation Centre on the University's Calder Drive, and admission is by ticket only, strictly supervised by security staff.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand