16 October 2009 Garden Party - celebration time for students

"Garden Party", the annual campus celebration by Lincoln University students to mark the end of lectures, takes place today (Friday 16 Oct.) between 10.00am and 4.00pm.

Garden Party is organised with an emphasis on music and costumes and is organised by the Lincoln University Students' Association as a safe and supervised celebration event.

"There are lots of features in place to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable time," says Vice-Chancellor Professor Roger Field.

"Security at the site is as tolerant as reasonable, but firm."

Music, costumes and celebrating are the themes of Garden Party. The music line-up this year includes Kiwi rock band Deja Voodoo, the reggae sound of Cornerstone Roots, cover band XLR8 and Lincoln University's own Dub maestro Carl.

Costume dressing is a Lincoln tradition that goes back generations and today's students always enter into the spirit of this.

Lincoln Hospitality Ltd Catering Manager Heather Watson, who is responsible for the liquor licensing associated with the Garden Party, says that the organisers take their "host responsibility" obligation very seriously.

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

"We work 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 at which students can enjoy themselves and celebrate the end of lectures," she says.

The Garden Party venue is a secured area of the playing field adjacent to the Recreation Centre on the University's Calder Drive. It is strictly supervised by security staff. Admission is by ticket only. There are no pass-outs and it is a strictly Rl8+ event.