Guest tickets
Your guests will require tickets for admission to the ceremony. You will request tickets on their behalf as part of your graduation application.
Please note that in the first instance we can guarantee only two guest tickets per graduand (you do not need a ticket yourself).
If additional tickets are required, you must state how many you would like in total including the two guaranteed tickets. We do our best to fulfil requests for extra tickets, but due to the size of the Dunedin Town Hall, this will not always be possible.
If you have requested additional guest tickets, we will let you know via email how many tickets you have been allocated approximately two weeks prior to your ceremony.
Information about collecting guest tickets will be made available to you via email approximately 6 weeks prior to your graduation ceremony.
If any spare tickets become available, these can be obtained from the Head Usher once the doors open at the Dunedin Town Hall to admit guests prior to the ceremony. These tickets will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.
Guest seating requirements
If you have a guest with a disability or for whom special seating arrangements are required, you must indicate this at the time that you apply for a place in a ceremony. We will allocate your guests to seats in an appropriate area of the Dunedin Town Hall. If the requirements for your guests change after you have submitted your application, please contact the Graduation Office as soon as possible.
Most of the seating in the Town Hall is accessed via several flights of stairs. If this will cause difficulties for any of your guests, you must indicate this at the time that you apply for a place in a ceremony. We will allocate your guests to seats on the lowest level of the Town Hall.
Wheelchair access to the Town Hall is via the entrance on the corner of Moray Place and Harrop Street, uphill from the main entrance.
Children
Although children may attend graduation ceremonies, we suggest that you let your guests know that it can be a long afternoon for the very young. There is limited storage space available within the Town Hall complex for prams and pushchairs.
Admission into the Dunedin Town Hall
The main doors to the Dunedin Town Hall (which are located on Moray Place) will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony. Guests must be seated at least 10 minutes before the ceremony commences.
Please do not use the Dunedin Centre entrance which is located on Harrop Street, as this is for staff and graduands only.
Guest tickets are allocated to a particular area of the Town Hall, but not to specific seats. In order to obtain seats together, all members of the guest party need to be present prior to entering the Town Hall. Ushers will be on hand to direct guests to seats on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that we cannot guarantee seats for ticket holders who arrive late.
The ceremony begins promptly at the stated time and will usually last for about one and a half hours. Both those graduating and their guests are expected to remain in the Town Hall for the entire ceremony, as leaving early can be very disruptive to others.
Please either switch off cellphones or change them to "silent" mode prior to the start of the ceremony.
On-campus accommodation
Hayward College
Hayward College is conveniently located in close proximity to the University campus and just a few minutes walk from the city centre.
Restaurants, shops, and the Dunedin Town Hall are all within short walking distance.
The College has over 100 rooms, each with a king single size bed. Bathrooms are shared. Wireless internet is available free of charge.
The College will be available for accommodation during the December graduation period.
Visit the Hayward College website
Bookings can be made by email.
Email hayward.college@otago.ac.nz
Where to find parking on Graduation Day
Parking in central Dunedin is in demand on graduation days and heavy pedestrian traffic can also add to congestion. The parking buildings closest to the Town Hall are:
- Moray Place (opposite View Street)
- Golden Centre (entrance on Filleul Street)
- Meridian Mall (entrance on Hanover Street)
- Great King Street (located between St Andrew and Hanover Streets)
Please note that there is a charge for using these parking facilities.
The time limit on inner city parking meters varies and is policed during the graduation ceremonies. The Dowling Street parking area (off Princes Street, two blocks from the Octagon) has 4 hour meters.
Location maps of parking facilities in Dunedin Central