Columns

This year will mark possibly the final ruckus of the wonder that is the Hyde Street Keg Party. Every March, scarfies flock in their thousands to Hyde, aptly decorated as it is to house the chronic intoxication, fornication and defecation that unfolds. One would be hard pressed to find an event to match Hyde either in character or in drunkenness; it personifies Otago student life. However the end may be near. This feature of scarfiedom is on the cusp of being banned, or at the very least watered down and tagged onto the Sunday of O-Week, when everybody is too ruined to make a day of it.

Hyde Street is the last of the unique Otago events to face the axe. Gardies, the Bowler, Cookathon and the Toga Parade have all been eradicated in recent years, and the focus has now shifted to Hyde Street. It has become increasingly problematic for police, hospital services and the wider community, in that it necessitates the use of police resources, plus widespread injury and disorder. Glass cuts and broken bones are commonplace, and Student Health consistently reports a spike in Dunedin’s already through-the-roof Chlamydia rate post-Hyde.

These problems further compel the current proposal to impose a North Dunedin-wide liquor ban. How Hyde transpires will have a heavy bearing on the outcome, with public submissions closing next Monday. The police will, as ever, hold a strong presence. In a crowd of two or three thousand pissed youths some arrests are inevitable. But in the interest of maintaining Hyde’s longevity, attendees should try to “not drink to excess”. In particular, Gore bogans and other avid rotary racing fans should refrain from attending altogether, in order that said disorder, arrests and Chlamydia transmissions are kept to a minimum.

Am I allowed to bring glass? The new glass-free rule has been imposed to prevent injury, mess, and the resultant disorder from jumped up students throwing bottles.

Am I allowed to come if I’m not a student? Technically, yes. But refer above.

Am I allowed to be drunk on the street? Police are present to keep everybody safe and stop stupid stuff from happening (roof jumping for instance). Campus Cop Max Holt assures us that they enjoy policing this event though, and do not go out of their way to spoil the fun. With this in mind, students should still be on their best-drunken behaviour to ensure that Hyde can remain as is.

– Alice O’Connell