"It's 9pm on Friday at Surfers Paradise and a DJ on the main beach is playing a club mix of Reel 2 Real's I Like to Move It as teenage boys wearing sunglasses shuffle enthusiastically on the sand. This is the last night of schoolies, and it's going to be large. The evening's official costume theme is good, evil, iconic, which is open to wide interpretation. Someone is dressed as The Lorax, another as a Christmas tree."
"Acting district director of the Queensland Ambulance Service, Justin Payne, says that although 479 patients were treated throughout the week, only 18 required hospitalisation, mostly for intoxication or minor injuries picked up after falling while dancing on the beach. A decade ago we'd have to transport around 40 people a night to the hospital system, he says. Seeing only 18 in a week for minor things is extremely positive."
About 15,000 school leavers gathered on the Gold Coast for a week of themed celebrations, music and nightlife centered in Surfers Paradise. Costumes ranged from The Lorax to a Christmas tree under the 'good, evil, iconic' theme. Attendees ate halal snack packs, consumed sugary alcoholic drinks and danced on the beach; many praised the social atmosphere. One attendee, Brendan, extended his trip and called a novelty plush snake his 'emotional support snake.' Emergency services treated 479 patients during the week, with only 18 hospitalisations mainly for intoxication or minor dance-related injuries. There were 20 arrests.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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