It’s four months until the end of Year 12 exams (!!!), which makes it high tide for fretting from Gold Coast businesses/community groups about the detrimental impact of November’s annual Schoolies Week.
This year, Surfers Paradise Alliance, the official marketing authority for the precinct, have come out in favour of reducing public amenities for Schoolies Week: they want fewer eyesore portaloos and less of the beach to be closed off for a safe Schoolies hub from locals and tourists, because they reckon, if most youths are 18, the party ought to be in pubs and clubs.
“I think we should be looking at the footprint of the event.“That’s something we’ve been asking for, to get the footprint reduced so that holiday-makers can also enjoy the beach and it doesn’t detract from the natural beauty.“It puts off locals coming in and the nightclubs suffer.”
Looking forward to 2019, it’s anticipated that most QLD high school grads will be of legal drinking age by mid-November, what with Prep having been introduced in 2007, and school starting ages increased by six months in 2008.
Of course that doesn’t take into account school leavers from south/west of the border, some of whom still may be under 18 when they arrive for the mammoth beach party, bb!
Because having a messy pash on the beach is undoubtedly part of the authentic Schoolies experience – just because you can legally dab in bars and clubs doesn’t mean you’re going to want to do that thing exclusively.
Mike Winlaw, Alliance head honcho, reckons the whole thing should be whole lot shorter for the 30,000 expected attendees too.
“It’s time for a rethink of the seven days, maybe we could do four or five.“The kids get bored after two or three days. We need to look at the time frame and quality of experience.”
Uhmm, excuse me, sir, plz to do not tell millenials when they are bored. We (the youth) will decide who comes to the Schoolies Week, and the circumstances in which they come when we get bored of it.
Matt Lloyd of Schoolies.com, which provides exhaustive info and accommodation booking services for interested high school grads, thinks the Alliance’s complaints are BS, and points to the necessity of a safe environment for partiers.
“Businesses who are agile and recognise the potential by tailoring their offering to suit the Schoolies market do incredibly well during this period.”“Schoolies are going to come to the Gold Coast regardless, so it is best to have a controlled setting where the students are protected and can have fun in a safe, happy environment.“
While QLD Communities Minister Shannon Fentiman acknowledges there will be changes to the event in the future, she insists there is “no plan to reduce the size of the Schoolies response“.
“Obviously there will be some change from 2019 as the first group of slightly older graduates completes their schooling.
“We expect about 80 per cent of those attending this year’s Schoolies events will once again be under 18.”
Source: Gold Coast Bulletin.
Photo: Paramount Pictures
