Carnage UK

Last updated

Carnage UK
Type Private
IndustryUniversity student entertainment
FoundedJune 2007
Headquarters
Birmingham
,
UK
Key people
Paul Bahia
Products Pub crawls
Parent Varsity Leisure Group (VLG) Ltd
Website Carnage UK

Carnage UK is a company that organises pub crawls for students in the United Kingdom. It hosts events in 45 towns and cities each year. The company's events have been criticised for encouraging binge-drinking and wreaking havoc on communities. Drunken participants have gained notoriety for urinating on war memorials, as well as beating homeless and elderly people. Several student unions have banned the company from advertising on campus.

Contents

Background

The idea for Carnage UK was originally taken from a University of Birmingham event named 'Carnage', run by the university's raising-and-giving society Carnival Rag. The original Birmingham Carnage has since been rebranded as 'Karma', with all proceeds going to charity. [1]

Carnage UK arranges events for an estimated 350,000 undergraduate students in 45 towns and cities each year. For £10, students receive a t-shirt and free entry to around 10 local pubs, bars and nightclubs, with many of the venues offering drinks promotions during the events. The company is part of the Varsity Leisure Group. [2] According to the company's website, they are "always looking for fun & bubbly student promotional staff". [3]

Incidents

University of Bath

In 2008, a student at the University of Bath hanged himself behind a nightclub during an event organised by Carnage UK. [4]

Sheffield Hallam University

In October 2009, a Sports Technology student at Sheffield Hallam University, was photographed urinating [5] on a war memorial in Barker's Pool after drinking for several hours on a bar crawl organised by Carnage UK. The photograph was later published in a number of newspapers. The student pleaded guilty to outraging public decency. The judge in the case said that he felt the student's actions were directly caused by his heavy consumption of alcohol, and that Carnage UK should also have been present in court. [6] Responding to this criticism, a press officer for Carnage UK told PR Week that much of the press coverage over the incident had been unfair. He pointed out that more than 2000 students attended the event and that the student who urinated was responsible for his own actions. [7]

University of Exeter

After an event in Exeter in October 2009, it was reported that the police were to consider charging the company for the extra officers that needed to be deployed whilst their events were running. [8]

Bangor

In March 2009, a 61-year-old man was assaulted by one of its organisers after he asked about arrangements regarding the event. [9] [10]

Southampton

In October 2010, another heavily intoxicated student, this time from Southampton University, was photographed urinating on a war memorial. [11]

Cardiff

In June 2014, a group of drunken women emerged from a Carnage pub in Cardiff and commenced verbally abusing and physically assaulting a homeless man, initially profanely yelling at him to get a job, then dragging him across the pavement and street, punching him, pulling his trousers down and kicking his face. [12]

Student organisation prohibition

The National Union of Students launched a campaign to stop the organisation hosting further events, and according to a poll by The Observer newspaper, at least 17 student unions banned them from advertising on their premises. [2]

Binge-drinking

The founder of Varsity Leisure Group, 29-year-old Inderpaul Sandeep Singh Bahia has denied that the company encourages binge-drinking, saying, "Our events are heavily focused on group identity, social and ethical cohesion, and fancy dress themes." [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pub</span> Establishment that serves alcoholic drinks

A pub is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in the late 17th century, and was used to differentiate private houses from those which were open to the public as alehouses, taverns and inns. Today, there is no strict definition, but CAMRA states a pub has four characteristics:

  1. is open to the public without membership or residency
  2. serves draught beer or cider without requiring food be consumed
  3. has at least one indoor area not laid out for meals
  4. allows drinks to be bought at a bar

A pub crawl is the act of visiting multiple pubs or bars in a single session.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SantaCon</span> Annual pub crawl

SantaCon is an annual pub crawl in which people dressed in Santa Claus costumes or as other Christmas characters parade in various cities around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drinking culture</span> Aspect of human behavior

Drinking culture is the set of traditions and social behaviors that surround the consumption of alcoholic beverages as a recreational drug and social lubricant. Although alcoholic beverages and social attitudes toward drinking vary around the world, nearly every civilization has independently discovered the processes of brewing beer, fermenting wine and distilling spirits.

Rags are student-run charitable fundraising organisations that are widespread in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Some are run as student societies whilst others sit with campaigns within their student unions. Most universities in the UK and Ireland, as well as some in the Netherlands and the Commonwealth countries of South Africa and Singapore have a rag. In some universities rags are known as Charities Campaigns, Charity Appeals, Charity Committees, Jool or Karnivals, but they all share many attributes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firkin Brewery</span>

The Firkin Brewery was a chain of pubs in the United Kingdom. The original UK chain is now defunct, but a number of pubs operate under the Firkin name in other countries. The chain took its name from the firkin, an old English unit of volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullingdon Club</span> Exclusive society at Oxford University

The Bullingdon Club is a private all-male dining club for Oxford University students. It is known for its wealthy members, grand banquets, and bad behaviour, including vandalism of restaurants and students' rooms. The club selects its members not only on the grounds of wealth and willingness to participate but also by means of education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Undie 500</span>

The Undie 500, originally named the Under 500, was an annual student-run car rally between Christchurch and Dunedin, New Zealand with multiple stops at drinking establishments along the way. The name comes from the original rule that a vehicle is purchased for less than NZ$500, and optionally decorated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otley Run</span> A pub crawl in Leeds, England

The Otley Run is the name given to a pub crawl in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The popular route covers Far Headingley, Headingley and Hyde Park areas and commonly continues towards Leeds City Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karan Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria</span> Indian-origin British entrepreneur and a life peer

Karan Faridoon Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria, is a British Indian businessman, life peer in the UK House of Lords, and a university chancellor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binge drinking</span> Form of excessive alcohol intake

Binge drinking, or heavy episodic drinking, is drinking alcoholic beverages with an intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time, but definitions vary considerably.

Binge drinking is the practice of consuming excessive amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. Due to the idiosyncrasies of the human body, the exact amount of alcohol that would constitute binge drinking differs among individuals. The definitions of binge drinking are also nuanced across cultures and population subgroups. For example, many studies use gender-specific measures of binge drinking. The epidemiology of binge drinking likewise differs across cultures and population subgroups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Exeter</span> Public university in Exeter, UK

The University of Exeter is a public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Mines were established in 1838, 1855, 1863, and 1888 respectively. These institutions later formed the University of Exeter after receiving its royal charter in 1955. In post-nominals, the University of Exeter is abbreviated as Exon., and is the suffix given to honorary and academic degrees from the university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of drinking establishment–related articles</span>

This is an index of drinking establishment-related articles.

Stephen Jackley is a convicted British robber and author. He served time in American and British prisons from 2008 to 2015. He has Asperger's syndrome, and his book, Just Sky, explores the impact of this condition on his life. Jackley has been followed by the press, both in the United States and the United Kingdom, because of the unusual nature of his crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield War Memorial</span>

The Sheffield War Memorial also known as Sheffield Cenotaph, is a Grade II* listed war memorial located at Barker's Pool, Sheffield, standing to the south of Sheffield City Hall, which is also Grade II* listed.

Many students attending colleges, universities, and other higher education institutions consume alcoholic beverages. The laws and social culture around this practice vary by country and institution type, and within an institution, some students may drink heavily whereas others may not drink at all. In the United States, drinking tends to be particularly associated with fraternities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alcohol consumption in the United Kingdom</span> UK Alcohol Consumption

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References

  1. ↑ Greatrex, Jonny (10 September 2012). "Carnage set for a rebranded return for Birmingham university freshers". Birmingham Mail . Archived from the original on 17 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 Hill, Amelia (8 November 2009). "Student pub crawls face ban amid backlash over drunken disorder". The Observer. London. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  3. ↑ "Carnage UK Jobs". Carnage UK. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Savill, Richard (21 November 2008). "Straight A student found hanged after Carnage UK pub crawl". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  5. ↑ http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/The-moment-a-student-urinated.5740115.jp?CommentPage=6&CommentPageLength=10 Sheffield Star
  6. ↑ Stokes, Paul (5 November 2009). "Judge highlights Carnage UK's role in war memorial incident". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  7. ↑ O'Reilly, Gemma (8 November 2009). "Carnage UK press team hits back at negative media coverage". PR Week. Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  8. ↑ "Exeter Carnage UK policing costs call". This is Exeter. 27 October 2009. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  9. ↑ "In Your Area - Latest news in your area - North Wales Live".
  10. ↑ "Carnage pub crawl operator 'punched elderly man' A national organiser for controversial student pub crawl firm Carnage UK punched unconscious a resident who voiced concerns about noise levels at one of their events, a court heard today". The Daily Telegraph. London. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  11. ↑ Reeve, Jon (5 October 2010). "Drunk caught urinating on Cenotaph during pub crawl". Daily Echo.
  12. ↑ "Drunk Cardiff Students On Carnage Pub Crawl Assault Homeless Man". The Huffington Post UK. 9 June 2014.
  13. ↑ "Carnage UK: controversial bar crawl promoter". The Daily Telegraph. London. 4 November 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
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