Lock up your sheets, the students are coming

More than 2000 students are expected to parade in this year’s Orientation Week toga march on Wednesday.

The week long festivities include a foam party, paint party, toga night and beer fest.

Owner of Bar 101 and Outback, John Lawrenson, says they have been doing a lot more publicity for this year’s O week.

Mr Lawrenson has a vision of making Hamilton the new party capital of New Zealand.

He believes the city has the potential to compete with student party capital Dunedin.

“I don’t want it to be about who can be the most drunk, [but about] having events like Soundscape attract people to coming here,” said Mr Lawrenson. “No-one looks back on their uni years and says ‘I really enjoyed that lecture’.”

Mr Lawrenson says the better the events in Hamilton the more likely students will want to study here, which is good for businesses and good for the city.

“If we can get more students to study here we can stimulate the turnover for Hamilton.”

Mr Lawrenson warned first-year university students not to take alcohol where there is a liquor ban.  He says police will be out in force this week.