May Ball in Cambridge

A May Ball is a ball at the end of the academic year at one of the colleges of the University of Cambridge.

The balls are formal affairs, requiring evening dress, with ticket prices of around £65 to £250, with some colleges selling tickets only in pairs. The balls are held in the college gardens, lasting from around 9 p.m. until well after dawn, with some colleges offering rides in balloons when the ball ends, and even breakfast in Paris, or, more traditionally, punting to Grantchester. "Survivors' photographs" are taken of those who last until morning.

Colleges hosting balls

Many Cambridge Colleges originally held the balls during May, sometimes in the week preceding year-end exams. Today, they take place in May Week, which usually starts on the second Thursday of June following the end of exams, and which includes Suicide Sunday. The balls operate a strict dress code. Magdalene is the only college which insist on white tie (it is recommended but not required at Trinity and Peterhouse) while all the others have a minimum of only black tie. Most balls are themed, though Magdalene's and Trinity's are notable for their lack of a theme.

Some famous balls include the John's May ball, which was named 'the seventh best party in the world' by Time Magazine.^[1] The First and Third Trinity Boat Club May ball (named after the boat club, but run by Trinity College) is always held on the first Monday of May Week. Though it has no theme, its tickets are also among the most highly sought. Magdalene's and Peterhouse's white tie balls also prove highly popular. Other desirable May balls are held annually by Clare, which has some of the most beautiful gardens, and Jesus, whose ball is popular amongst first year students. Robinson hosts the first ball of May Week, and is also one of the least expensive black tie balls. Christ's is known for securing high-profile acts. Trinity, Clare and St. John's are situated directly on the River Cam, along the Backs, as are Queens' and Trinity Hall. As a result, when several balls are held on the same evening, the river is lit up in different colours from the lights and the fireworks, creating a memorable backdrop to the evening's festivities.

Annual balls are held by Clare, Darwin, Hughes Hall, Jesus and St Edmund's; while Magdalene, Pembroke, Emmanuel, Corpus Christi, Christ's, Downing, Gonville and Caius, Homerton, Newnham, Queens', Sidney Sussex and St Catharine's hold May Balls every two years.

Most balls have fundamental similarities: all will offer guests a variety of food, entertainment, and a bevy of alcoholic drinks. The quality and diversity of all of these vary markedly between different balls. While all claim to offer luxury (and many deliver), some have distinctive hallmarks: Peterhouse is famed for its Ferris wheel, Magdalene for its dining, Trinity for its near-unlimited champagne and St. John's for having the most expensive fireworks.

Ball entertainment is a closely guarded secret, not least because of the fear that other committees will 'free ride' by booking an act already booked at another ball and thus have to pay a reduced fee because the band is in Cambridge already, whilst simultaneously devaluing the 'get' by the initial contractor. Partly for this reason, ball line-ups are not usually announced until the night of the ball, although they tend to leak out fairly early.

Ball crashing

Colleges with larger May balls pay considerable attention to security and the prevention of ball crashing. With tickets priced at over £100 and in short supply, students often try to gain unauthorized access, climbing high walls, arriving dressed as gorillas pretending to be part of the evening's entertainment, and posing as journalists. Typically, college porters are joined by professional security staff and, at larger balls, police to identify and apprehend the crashers. Some Colleges have painted walls with anti-burglar paint, which stains the crashers' clothes with luminous green paint, making it somewhat difficult to blend in. More courageous crashers can be seen actually swimming down the river Cam holding their clothes in a plastic bag above the water in an attempt to enter colleges from the banks.

As part of the security arrangements, students living in parts of the College and not attending the May Ball are often required either to vacate their rooms or remain in them without leaving overnight, in spite of the inevitable loud music.

Alternatives

Several colleges host a variation on these balls, a June Event. These are cheaper (£50-70), tend to be focused on live music, and frequently have less formal dress codes. Some colleges alternate June events and May balls from year to year. Trinity Hall, Wolfson, and Pembroke hold June events.

King's holds an annual event known as the "King's Affair" - like the June events it is cheaper, with entertainments but less focus on live music, and guests are invited to don any costume they choose, the wackier the better.

In order to spread the fun throughout the year, a number of colleges have broken with tradition to hold balls at different times, normally either in the winter at the end of Michaelmas term, i.e. the beginning of December, or in spring at the end of Lent term. Selwyn is the only college to hold a yearly winter ball, known as the Snowball; in 2008 Selwyn also held a May Ball to celebrate its 125th Birthday. Fitzwilliam holds a winter ball every two years, the most recent one being December 2008. Of the spring balls, that of Girton is held every other year, whereas Churchill continues to produce an annual ball.

Peterhouse and Magdalene have held balls on alternating years, most recently in 2006 and 2007 respectively. However, due to Peterhouse's poor academic performance, the Governing Body controversially cancelled the 2008 ball, announcing that thereafter it would be a triennial event, much to the dismay and anger of many students.

Outside Cambridge

Cambridge May Balls have inspired numerous off-shoots at other institutions throughout the UK and abroad. These may differ widely from the original and often come under a variety of names, but still maintain many of the traditional elements. For example, the component colleges of the University of Durham hold summer balls; the most noteworthy of these is University College's June Ball, held in its home at Durham Castle. The event is white tie, with a secret theme. Tickets for 2009's June Ball tickets were sold at £220 a pair, and are normally in this region.

The May Ball at St Andrews University, organized by the Kate Kennedy Club, is a charity event held every year.

Trinity College, Dublin holds a black tie ball in college to celebrate the beginning of Trinity Week on the last day of Trinity term each year. It is commonly cited as the largest private party in Europe.[1][2]

2009 Calendar

Friday 12th
- Robinson May Ball - "Phantasmagoria"
- Homerton May Ball - "James Bond 007"
Saturday 13th
- Peterhouse May Ball - "Festival of Britain"
- Hughes Hall May Ball - "Passport to Pimlico"
Sunday 14th
- Emmanuel May Ball - "Empire" (name now withdrawn)
Monday 15th
- Trinity May Ball
- Jesus May Ball - "Oz"
- Clare May Ball - "The Forbidden City"
Tuesday 16th
- St John's May Ball
- Queens' May Ball - "The Beautiful and Damned"
- Downing May Ball - "Peter Pan's Neverland"
Wednesday 17th
- Pembroke May Ball - "Moonlight Masquerade"
- Magdalene May Ball
- Kings Affair - "Hedonopolis"
- Trinity Hall June Event - "Fusion"
Friday 19th
- Darwin May Ball
- Corpus Christi May Ball - "The Grand Tour"
- Wolfson June Event - "Red Hot"