Summer Ball 2017 tickets are on sale now

The kind of ball where you wear summer shorts instead of blazers and heels.


Sussex Students’ Union has released online tickets for Summer Ball 2017 – coming to our very own campus on April 30th. Whilst some students around campus were sure the venue was The Grand Brighton, or even the Royal Pavilion, it is actually the same spot as the Sunday Welcoming Festival in Fresher’s Week.

With recently announced headline acts such as Lethal Bizzle, DJ Danny Howard and Gentleman’s Dub Club, many students were left wondering whether they would have to twerk in satin-laced ball gowns and sway their LV clutches in the air. However, a spokesperson at the Students’ Union, said that the dress code is “casual” – more summer shorts and dirty Converse than blazers and brogues.

With an open-plan, outdoor venue complete with a tent and two stages, the day-long Summer Ball will have the atmosphere of a “small Boundary Festival” in the words of Daisy. In fact, the event’s coordinators are working with the organisers of Boundary Festival to ensure the event is professional and successful. More headline acts are set to be revealed, although the stage will not exclusively feature established artists. It will boast live bands and student DJs, allowing students from both Brighton and Sussex Universities to showcase their musical talent and gain some coverage.

Not only will the music come from students, so will the drinks. Both universities will have their bar staff present.The Students’ Union’s Events Office said the booze will be served at “Falmer Bar-esque prices”. A distinctive aspect of the Ball that the Events Office emphasised is its student focus. Although “anyone can come”, the Ball will be an event largely composed of students celebrating the end of the year and “everything about uni life, like living in halls”.

The Summer Ball is the result of a rare collaboration between Brighton and Sussex Students’ Unions. The two unions, known for their infamous rivalry, have conveniently nestled the Ball between Spring holidays and the beginning of exams, making sure students don’t miss it simply because they’ve gone home.

The Ball commences at 2.00 p.m. and will run through to 10.30 p.m. For those more used to parties starting after 10.30 p.m. the Events team stated there will be an after-party in Mandela Hall until 2.00 a.m. the next day. Best of luck to those cleaning Mandela Hall for exams the following week.

On being asked why they called the festival a Ball, Sussex SU explained it was an attempt to make the event “the best of both worlds” by catering to the diverse views of students in both Brighton and Sussex Universities. They did not feel the need to create a formal ball because these are already established in different societies and courses. A student-focussed festival, however, was an event in high-demand that represents a gaping hole in the university events market.

The Students’ Union’s Events Office is very enthusiastic about the Ball. It was inspired by a similar event called UniFest that occurred in 2009 and was very successful but was discontinued due to the SU changing priorities. The current events team hopes to make the Summer Ball an annual festival and expand it to accommodate multiple stages. Here’s hoping it becomes a defining end-of-year event for future students.

Tickets can now be bought online for £15.