OUSA has confirmed that the Hyde St party is back for another year. After some uncertainty over dates, it’s finally been locked in to happen just a week before semester one exams.
OUSA confirmed on April 12 that the Hyde St Party will go ahead this year. After previously postponing the original date from April 30 to late September, they’ve announced that it’ll happen on May 28. In case you don’t have your OUSA wall planner handy, this is the Saturday before semester one lectures finish and the exam period begins. It’s only 10 days before the first exams begin on 8 June, involving everyone from panicky Health Scis doing CELS191 to 2nd year Politics students and the jaded, burnt-out souls putting themselves through third-year Psych.
In other words, it seems there’s no better time for a right royal piss-up than in the middle of panic-cram study time. Hilary, a student, certainly seems to think so: “The new date is kind of ideal because it's after all my assignments are due and before exams, so it’s perfect for me.”
This is the first year non-students are allowed to buy tickets to the event. However, these are in limited supply and purchasers have to be a Hyde St resident, or invited by a Hyde or Clyde St resident. All other rules stay the same, including the ban on first-years. In other words, freshers and boomers trying desperately to relive your young years, you’re still shit out of luck.
The tickets will set you back $60 for students, $70 for non-students, and $20 if you’re a Hyde St resident. There has to be at least one perk to living on Hyde, we guess. Hyde St hasn’t been immune to the cost-of-living crisis either: even before booking fees are included, prices have jumped almost 10% ($5) for students, and 35% ($7) for street residents, compared to last year. We asked Emma, a Hyde St resident, about this. At first, she didn’t know that residents have to pay (sorry to burst your bubble, Emma). She thought it “kind of sucks [that Hyde St is] more expensive, but since student loan is going up I'm not that fussed”. Emma clearly knows how to budget.
If your flat is keen to get amongst having the best day you won’t remember, the general lottery for tickets opens April 28 at 4pm, and will close a week after, at 4pm on May 5. Best of luck breathas and beezys: Critic Te Arohi will see you out there.