Larger dry grad planned for Nanaimo and Ladysmith students

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Laser tag, a casino, band and a magician will round out activities for students to wander to and from between 6 a.m. on the Friday night and 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

bigger and better

Larger dry grad planned for Nanaimo and Ladysmith students

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A $75 entry fee gives access to everything, including food and drinks, with financial assistance available for families who need it.

The event is open to any grade 12 with a permanent address in Nanaimo or Ladysmith and will see students from Aspengrove, Nanaimo Christian School, Stz’uminus, Island ConnectEd and Learning Alternatives join SD68 students from the six local high schools.

With under two months to go, around 450 students have registered for the event, however organizers are expecting an increase from the roughly 700 students who took part in last year’s party.

The 2025 edition was a major gamble, after being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and not returning since.

“We definitely faced some struggles, because with it being six years since the last event and the whole post-COVID situation, a lot of things had changed. People hadn’t heard about dry grad in a while, people who used to support had reallocated their donations to other places, and we were trying really hard to get the community back on board.”

Businesses to provide sponsorship and prizes, as well as volunteers, are the main needs currently, with around 200 people required to make the night happen.

Darwin said she fondly remembers her dry grad event in Nanaimo.

“I was a pretty shy kid. I didn’t really have any friends who went with me, but I still had a fantastic time because there are just so many things to do that aren’t reliant on you having your core friend group there. Even if your friends aren’t available, or they don’t want to go because they don’t think it’s their jam, there’s still lots of really cool things to do.”

Preventing drinking and driving incidents linked to grad parties is also a major driver for organizers this year.

More information on the event, including ticket sales, is available on the Nanaimo Dry Grad website.

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