What a lady, what a night. A sentiment I’m sure many found themselves uttering as they progressed further and further into the maddeningly obscene antics of the Re-O Week scene on Castle. Yes, Re-O Week came to live up to the hype we all expected, providing all sorts of thrills and spills for breathas of all varieties to look fondly back on. Though the antics were largely second-year-centric, the series of OUSA events littered throughout the evenings provided enough fun for all students basking in the musk of the struggling musicians who likely hadn’t showered for days. Reflecting on this momentous occasion, Critic Te Ārohi has compiled a summary of the events that transpired all in the name of breathadom.
Starting strong, students were witness to a Blue Waffle party which garnered the attention of hundreds on a cold Monday eve. Of significance was the fact that the host abruptly changed the theme only a day before it started, choosing to opt with ‘Blue Out’ as opposed to ‘Boogie’. Maybe they were worried too many would show dressed as boogers, who knows? But one thing is certain: timing was on the side of the host, which segued nicely into a free 2000’s party hosted at U-bar. Police presence was also noticeable, with multiple vehicles posted outside the street party wedged neatly in between Castle and the one way.
Tuesday’s ‘Snow party’, hosted by Honeypot, had the benefit of allowing for warm clothing, a fact students would later praise for having greatly heightened the experience of the night. Reports were also rife of supposedly “punishing freshers” from a variety of biased second-year sources. Widely hailed as a success, one student told Critic Te Ārohi, “I don’t even remember going, I was so drunk.” While that may seem to defeat the point, it also serves as a badge of honour for some.
Wednesday was ‘Cops and Robbers’, a theme that requires participants to make both bold outfit choices and suggestions about whether they’re a top or a bottom. Unfortunately, the event was tarred with the misfortune of rain and wind which drastically impacted attendance at the Leith St event. Numbers were as low as 20-40 people at 8pm before gradually picking up as the night wore on and the alcohol blankets came into play. Discussions about the ethics of the theme were few and far between.
The slightly ambiguous ‘Mardi Gras’ party was hosted by Complex on Thursday, an interesting theme that brought many flamboyant personalities out of hiding. The infamous DJ Mosey was allegedly playing to a packed crowd which frothed in the sheer atmosphere of the place. Mosey’s presence was complemented by effective lighting and a layout fundamentally built for large scale street parties such as the one displayed on Thursday.
Courtyard, oddly, hosted a ‘Halloween’ themed party on Friday, despite the fact that the day itself is still many a month down the line. Still, the theme seemed to coincide nicely with ‘Mardi Gras’ as many reported that they used the same costume to attend both events.
Then came Saturday night, the illustrious evening whose only requirement was for attendees to to get ‘Black Out’ in the den of Thirsty. The Christchurch-based DnB trio SUUNE inspired the antics to unwind into utter chaos as the night wore on. Police presence usurped that of Monday evening, yet the Red Frogs appeared to do the most for those students well and truly horsed, serving up pancakes to anyone who fancied them just 50 metres away from the host itself.
Yet the week did not end there! Every dusty student found themselves rudely awoken at 7am Sunday morning to the sounds of the Castle hosting a school reunion (that’s earlier than I used to wake up for school). Perhaps seeking redemption, the event wore on throughout the day, keeping the mood light while the clean up ensued for everyone else.
Commenting on the week as a whole, one student, Anashai, told Critic Te Ārohi, “By that sixth night I was pretty zoned out - it got harder as the week went on.” Another hardened patriot, Eli, added, “It was a mission of a week, everyone was battling but they were battling hard.” Despite the regular comments that the hosts were “dry” and the fact that you could probably get away with wearing a Batman costume at every one of them, studentville stood to attention as Re-O came and went last week. We at Critic hope you drank enough over the course of the week to forget the alarmingly pertinent fact that you now have to actually do Uni work. Godspeed.