Juliet Lickersteen, left, Hiraina Tangiora, Jenna Logan, Brooke Copland and Laura Adams are ready for the Garden Party.

Sarah Higgens, left, Sarah Mitchell, Linda Taggart and Kate Downie-Melrose head to the Garden Party.

A dishwasher was set on fire during a pre-event.

FEELING BLUE: Chloe Farnell, 19, and Scout Fletcher, 18, dressed up as Smurfs.

FANCY DRESSERS: Students queue to enter the events in their many costumes.

BIG BABIES: Alice Mansell, left, Annabelle Button and Danielle Daly-Lemon make their way to the garden event.

DANCE DANCE: End-of-year revellers dance to one of the party bands tunes.

MERRY MAKERS: A group of off-season Santas congregate at the annual event.

End-of-lecture parties are in full swing at Canterbury's two universities today, with one arrest made.

The Tea Party is being held at the University of Canterbury sports fields and the Garden Party is under way at Lincoln University.

The Fire Service attended a pre-event house party in Lincoln where furniture, including a dishwasher, was burnt in a bonfire.

Someone phoned 111 about the fire at the North Belt property at 10.54am, but firefighters quickly doused it.

Sergeant Chris Jones said "the flames were about eight feet high".

Constable Bryan McQueen said the only arrest at the Lincoln party was of a 23-year-old man, for trespassing on the party grounds after being expelled.

Alcohol was a factor.

The man was taken to the central police cells to "ponder his mistakes", but was likely to receive a pre-charge warning.

Police had been ferrying students from another party in Shands Rd to the event to prevent them from walking on the high-speed road.

Police had a presence at both events, but no arrests have been reported to the communications centre.

However, one young man had been taken by ambulance to hospital with a hand injury after falling while crossing the road holding a beer bottle.

Jones said the students had in general been well behaved.

There was some damage at the halls of residence, but nothing the university could not deal with.

About 12 police staff were monitoring the event throughout the day.

''So far it's been pretty good,'' Jones said.

He said giving students a ride in the paddy wagon was a way to prevent partygoers causing damage on their way to the venue, or worse, getting hit by a car.

Students emerging from the wagon said they appreciated the offer of the ride.

''They flew over the speed bumps,'' Nathan Bokser joked.

''They need handrails in there,'' Annabelle Button added.

''We didn't have any handcuffs or anything. At the end of the day, everybody wins,'' Billy Dowle said.

University community development co-ordinator Aileen Taylor said the halls had organised a DJ and a free sausage sizzle.

She was ''very impressed'' with the students' behaviour.

Lincoln University Students' Association president Kent Lloyd said there had been a steady stream of students - almost all in fancy dress - flowing into the party since about 10.30am.

"We're expecting around 2000; we had over 1000 pre-sales," he said.

There were four bands playing and the party would wrap up at 4pm, when buses would transport students to Riccarton.

"It's a good excuse for people to let their hair down," Lloyd said.

University of Canterbury Students' Association president Erin Jackson said about a third of the 3000 people who had tickets to the Tea Party had been scanned through so far.

It was the first time the event had been held on Ilam Fields and the attendance numbers were "right up there".

"It will be one of the largest."

Jackson said the association had reminded students that the event was in a liquor-ban area, and she was not aware of any issues thus far.

She said students had gone all out with their fancy-dress costumes.

"Right now I'm looking at Twister, dandelions, minions from The Incredibles. If you can name it, I'd say it's here."