OPINION: Who killed the Wellington Sevens? "Not I," said the drunks as they vomited and leered at passers-by.

"Not I," said the PC fun police, "would you mind blowing into this before entering the stadium?" "Not I," said New Zealand Rugby, "now take your $240 seats for Azerbaijan versus Benin". "Not I," said the stadium caterers, "here's your flat beer and cold chips. That will be $137.50." "Not I," said the council, "though due to commercial sensitivity we can't tell you why."

Reports of the demise of the Wellington Sevens are premature, but there are more theories for its declining attendance than the Kennedy assassination.

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I've never been a sevens attendee. It's expensive, I don't have two full days to spare, and I'm really bad at dressing up. Yet at its height, the sevens was loads of fun. Going into town to view the straight Mardi Gras was never dull.

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PHOTO:GETTY IMAGES Akira Ioane of New Zealand fends Kwagga Smith of South Africa during the 2016 Wellington Sevens cup final match at Westpac Stadium

Most of the costumes were kitsch and overly reliant on American popular culture, but some were brilliant, with a wonderful Kiwi humour. The sevens became a 20-something WOW, with beer instead of latte. Even better, dressing up wasn't an edict from a marketing agency, but an independent crowd idea that grew and grew.

The most enthusiastic sevens participants were young and single, though many others joined in. With kissing booths provided in 2010, alcohol and rugby weren't the only attractions. But the drunken bonkfest got very rowdy and little was done.

One year, more than 100 arrests saw the police "very pleased" with fan behaviour. A carload of university students once told me all the clever ways one could get into the sevens while off one's face. Sevens was the place to be for these young, wealthy Aucklanders who may well be complaining about the drunken young in 10 years' time.

JESSY EDWARDS/DOMINION POST A man is arrested outside the Wellington Sevens.

As sinking piss and hooking up was placed down the list, and family-friendly activities were promoted, crowd numbers dropped. But was that the only reason? It's easy to blame the "wowsers", but a young crowd who are dedicated followers of fashion is difficult to retain – just ask a rock promoter.

No column on the sevens is complete without a few syllables about rugby. I have always watched the final sevens games on TV. This year's final, with the Ioane brothers in almost as devastating form against South Africa as the referee, was fantastic. Our poor dog didn't know what was going on as we screamed in delight when Joe Webber scored after the siren had sounded.

And let's not forget how great sevens has been for Pacific rugby. Not only has the brilliant Gordon Tietjens turned his team into a production line for exciting Polynesian players, but Samoa and Fiji have regularly made it to the final stages.

MONIQUE FORD/FAIRFAX NZ A Wellington Sevens punter goes full lobster.

As well as the many Pasifika fans in attendance, it's great to see almost the entire Cake Tin unite and support Samoa or Fiji if they play Australia, South Africa or England.

So what will happen now? I suspect Wellington will keep the sevens but if not, let's not dwell on it. Major events are great for Wellington, but they shouldn't be seen as the be-all and end-all. Wellington is still a pretty good place the other 51 weekends of the year.

I recently met some US tourists who visited Wellington and loved it. When I asked for their highlights they didn't mention one major event. "We loved how clean it was, and do you know Te Papa?" Yes I did. "Well, there's a diving board right next to it where kids can just dive in to the harbour. That was our highlight." This week three Brit backpackers I met also mentioned the diving boards. "You'd never be allowed to do that in the UK."

MONIQUE FORD/FAIRFAX NZ As always, this year's Sevens had plenty of costumed revellers - but there were also plenty of empty seats.

But please don't tell local government or corporate tourism this. They might promote diving into the harbour as a "major event" with an undisclosed council subsidy, encourage us to dress in Edwardian swimsuits, create sponsored "party central bonking boards" then put in safety nets to make diving "family friendly".

Then when fickle youths tire of it because we boring oldies are joining in, Wellington will have to beat its breast and ask "where did our Diving Weekend go wrong?"