May Ball in Cambridge

The bridge over the River Cam atClare Collegeduring its 2005 May Ball.

AMay Ballis aballat the end of theacademic yearthat takes place at any of the colleges of theUniversity of Cambridge.They are elaborate and lavish formal affairs, requiringblack tieor sometimeswhite tie,with ticket prices ranging from around £100 to as much as £640 for a pair of dining tickets atTrinity.May Ball budgets (excluding VAT) can exceed £200,000; a report by the student newspaperVarsityin 2016 found that the budget for the 2015 Trinity ball was £286,000.The balls are held in the colleges, starting around from 6-9 p.m. and lasting until well after dawn. "Survivors photographs" are taken of those who last until morning. Other colleges frequently hold winter balls, such as the popular Selwyn Snowball, who recently had acts suchTinchy StryderandMumford and Sonsheadlining.

History

The morning after a May Ball in 1906,includingSiegfried Sassoonand his brother Hamo

The tradition of May Balls in Cambridge started in the 1830s with the first official one being theFirst and Third Trinity Boat Club May Ballin 1866.It is thought they developed from the celebrations surrounding successes in theMay Bumps- a set of rowing races which used to take place before the universitytriposexaminations in May each year.The balls and the other celebrations which make upMay Week(such asJune Eventsandgarden parties) moved from May to June in 1882, and still take place in June, after examinations, but the name has been retained.

By the 1890s,King'sandClarewere holding regular balls, and the firstSt Catharine'sBall dates from 1929.As the 20th century progressed the formula of the balls varied very little until the 1960s, when students began to question both the cost and perceived stuffiness. Around this time, some colleges began to augment the traditional dance orchestras with rock bands, and by the end of the 1970s the focus of the majority had shifted towards booking rock acts.

As the all-male colleges began to allow female students, the ubiquitous double tickets began to be bought by pairs of students rather than inviting a date from outside of the university, causing a corresponding reduction in ticket sales; in 1991Sidney SussexandDowningmerged balls, and in 1992Pembrokecancelled its ball. When in 1993 there were a reported 16,000 tickets available to an undergraduate population of 10,000,Selwyn,Emmanuel,GirtonandPeterhousewere all forced to cancel their balls, though Trinity andMagdalenesold out as usual.The solution was for most of the smaller balls to hold events every other year, and by the 2000s only Trinity,St John's,Clare, andJesuswere still holding annual May Balls.

They fell out of popularity with the students in the 1990s,but this trend has since reversed and tickets now sell out in record time. Local businesses also now seek to get involved and the localpuntingcompanies put on special night-time tours to allow people to watch the John's and Trinity College firework displays onthe Backsfrom theRiver Cam- the river usually becomesgridlockedfor these evenings during May Week.

Colleges hosting balls

Many Cambridge colleges originally held the balls in May, sometimes in the week preceding year-end exams. Today, they take place inMay Week,which usually starts on the second Thursday of June following the end of exams, and which includesSuicide Sunday.The balls operate a strictdress code.Magdalene insists onwhite tie,which is recommended but not required at Trinity and Peterhouse, while all the others have a minimum of onlyblack tie.Most balls are themed, though Magdalene, Peterhouse, and Trinity's are notable for their lack of a theme.

Guests queue to enterFirst and Third Trinity Boat Club May Ball

Queens' Collegeheld its 100th May Ball in 2013

Jesus College May Ball 2012

A 'survivors photo' taken around 6am atJesus CollegeMay Ball in 2007.

TheFirst and Third Trinity Boat Club May Ball(named after theboat club,but now run byTrinity College), held on the first Monday of May Week, and the St John's May Ball, held on the first Tuesday.MagdaleneandPeterhousehold exclusive white tie balls. Other desirable May balls are held annually byClare,which has some of the most beautiful gardens,Jesus,whose ball is popular amongstfirst yearstudents, andQueens',whose balls are well known for finding soon-to-be-famous up and coming acts (seePerformancesbelow).Homertonhosts the first ball of May Week, and is also one of the least expensive black tie balls, but still provides an extravagant start to May Week.St Edmund'shosts the final ball of May Week and is known for attracting finalists and postgraduates.Christ'sis known for securing high-profile acts. Trinity, Clare and St John's are situated directly on theRiver Cam,along theBacks,as areQueens',MagdaleneandTrinity 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. The latest break from tradition comes fromDarwin,who are hosting the first everplant-basedMay Ball.

Annual balls are held by Clare,Darwin,Hughes Hall,Jesus,St Edmund's,Robinson,Trinity,St John'sandWolfson;whileMagdalene,Pembroke,Emmanuel,Corpus Christi,Christ's,Downing,Girton,Gonville and Caius,Homerton,Newnham,Queens',Sidney Sussex,Selwyn,andSt Catharine'shold May Balls every two years.

Most balls have fundamental similarities: all will offer guests a variety of food, entertainment, and a selection 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 itsferris wheel,Magdalene for its dining, Trinity for its exceptional fireworks and flame display, Clare for its entertainment lineup and St John's for its party atmosphere. Often the balls have overarching themes, sometimes they are fancy dress.

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. This was seen in 2010 whenTwo Door Cinema Clubperformed at four separate balls. 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 ofball crashing.With tickets priced at over £150 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 portersare joined by both student and professional security staff and, at larger balls, policeto identify and apprehend the crashers. Some colleges have painted walls withanti-burglar paint,which stains the crashers' clothes with luminous green paint, making it somewhat difficult to blend in. More courageous crashers can be seen 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 vacatetheir rooms or remain in them without leaving overnight, in spite of the inevitable loud music.

Alternatives

Guests watching a fireshow at King's June Event, 2006

Several colleges host a variation on these balls, aJune Event.These are cheaper (£60-90), 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,NewnhamandWolfsonhold June events. In 2018 Wolfson held a May Ball instead. In 2023,Darwin Collegewas the first college at Cambridge to host aveganball.

King'sholds an annual event known as the "King's Affair" — like the June events it is cheaper and has a reputation for "Beats not Bollinger"; guests are invited to wear any costume they choose. With several different music stages focusing mainly on new DJs, the atmosphere is perhaps more akin to some festivals. The college used to hold a traditional May Ball, but this was banned by the local police afterThe Stranglersplayed in the 1970s and caused a crush.

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 ofMichaelmas term,i.e. the beginning of December, or in spring at the end ofLent term.Selwynis 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 and did so again in 2015 and 2017.Cambridge University Law Societyalso holds a well-regarded yearly winter ball.Fitzwilliamholds winter balls every two years, the most recent being November 2018. Of the spring balls, that ofGirtonis held biennially at the end ofLent termin March, whereasChurchillcontinues to produce an annual ball in the middle ofLent termevery February.

Klaxonsplaying atQueens'May Ball in 2007

Jesus College May Ball 2012

See also

• Commemoration ball- similar summer balls at theUniversity of Oxford

External links

• Listings with details of 2009 Balls / June Events
• Listings with details of 2024 Balls / June Events

Cambridge May Balls & June Events

• Christ's May Ball
• Churchill May Ball
• Clare May Ball
• Clare Hall June Event
• Clare Hall May Ball
• Corpus Christi May Ball
• Darwin May Ball
• Downing May Ball
• Emmanuel May BallArchived23 February 2006 at theWayback Machine
• Fitzwilliam Winter Ball
• Girton Spring Ball
• Gonville and Caius May Ball
• Homerton May Ball
• Hughes Hall May Ball
• Jesus May Ball
• The King's Affair
• Magdalene May Ball
• Newnham June Event
• Pembroke May Ball
• Peterhouse May Ball
• Queens' May Ball
• Robinson May Ball
• St Catharine's May Ball
• St Edmund's May Ball
• St John's May Ball
• Selwyn May Ball
• Selwyn Snowball
• Sidney Sussex May Ball
• Trinity May Ball(article)
• Trinity Hall June Event
• Wolfson June Event
• Wolfson May Ball
• Cambridge Union Society June Fling

Other May Balls

• Trinity College, Dublin May Ball