2010 Garden Party Guide

The definitive guide to Garden Parties in May Week 2010.

Brideshead Revisited champagne christs cocktails Garden Party hedonism Idlers Lady Orchids Marguerites May Week murray edwards New Hall ostrich Pembroke Squires Suicide Sunday Tit Hall Crescents Wyverns

So many garden parties, so little time. Wherever you go on Sunday 13th June, there's going to be alot of alcohol – it's not called Suicide Sunday for nothing – but how to separate the wheat from the chaff? Fear not! The Tab has provided a quick guide to help you put your money where your mouth is.

 

LADY ORCHIDS

Time: Friday 11th June, 2pm-5pm
Price: £10
Get tickets: email [email protected]
Vibe: The first of many…

Ok, so this one’s not actually on Suicide Sunday itself, but think of it as a warm-up exercise. There’s champagne, cocktails, and a BBQ (which you will actually enjoy because BBQs have not yet become passé) along with the Orchids’ signature Pick and Mix selection. Kick start May Week in style and offset the shameless spending you are about to indulge in – 50p from every ticket goes to an as-yet-unspecified charity…Drinking, eating and helping those less fortunate. A flawless combination.

 

CAMBRIDGE UNION

Time: Saturday 12th June, 2pm – 8pm
Price: £12.50 members, £20 non-members (limited numbers)
Get tickets: Thursday 6th May, Launch at 7pm at the Union
Vibe: Decadence

Warm-up exercise Part 2 – the Union garden party is on the Saturday before the big guns come out, but that means that there’s no time-tabling issue to stop you from enjoying oysters (!) in the gardens of Sidney Sussex whilst listening to talented musicians. Boasting tailor-made cocktails and quaint picnic rugs galore, this party is the perfect way to forget the trauma of exam term in a haze of self-indulgence (with not a pole-dancer in sight).
 

 

TIT HALL CRESCENTS

Time: 9am – 12 noon
Price:
£10 for individuals, £8 for groups of 15+
Get tickets: email [email protected]
Vibe: Cocktails at 9am. Hello hedonism.

It’s an early start, but definitely worth getting out of bed for. Lots of people claim this is their favourite garden party, set within the sumptuous confines of Trinity Hall, with grounds that Henry James once paid tribute to: ‘If I were called upon to mention the prettiest corner of the world, I should draw a thoughtful sigh and point the way to the gardens of Trinity Hall.’ Get your game face on early and nab some of the great cocktails – it's going to be a long day. 

 

WYVERNS

Time: 11am
Price:
Gold tickets £14 (guaranteed entry to Life), Silver tickets £10
Get tickets:
email http://nickp.infatics.com/wyverns3
Vibe: Blazers and Shorts, Bikinis and Shades

Infamous for it’s Jelly Wrestling competition, this is the 81st annual garden party for the Wyverns. A must for all freshers who want the authentic Cambridge Garden Party experience (think cheap wine, big house, lots of shorts); the quantity of alcohol provided will have you snozzled in no time. This year the Wyverns have teamed up with Red Bull and VK, and food is included in your ticket price, so there’s no danger of a repeat of last year’s terrifying supermarket sweep in Waitrose…Get there early before the vomiting begins.

 

MARGUERITES

Time: 12noon – 2pm
Price: £10
Get tickets: email [email protected]
Vibe: Blazers and Ties, Summer Dresses

Set in Christ’s College Fellows’ Garden, the Marguerites party is more quintessentially Cambridge than the other parties on offer (i.e. the only jelly you’ll find here is accompanied by trifle). The price is a very reasonable £10, with this year’s line up boasting a live band, sumptuous nibbles, and cocktails from the famous bottomless vats which have seen many a Marg party take a turn for the better. If you want to live the Brideshead Revisited dream, then put on your best florals and prepare for the address from the dashing new president (delivered from the branches of a tree).

 

IDLERS

Time: 12noon – 2.30pm
Price: £12
Get tickets: email [email protected]
Vibe: Jazzy

Billed as the ‘classiest’ garden party that Suicide Sunday has to offer, this is death by jazz and cocktails in Pembroke’s Ivy Court. A party for the more sophisticated student, there’s no food included in this ticket price, but if you’re after something a bit more respectable (and don’t want your photo to end up on the front page of The Sun the next morning) then this is your kind of scene. 
 

 

SQUIRES

Time: 3pm
Price: £20
Get tickets:
email [email protected]
Vibe: Excessive  

One of the more exclusive Suicide Sunday events, the Squires provide a huge array of food and drink to help you power on through the day. Last year’s Ostrich Burgers were a huge hit, and the Vodka Luge is a great excuse to do vodka shots with the pretence of ‘cooling down’ in the process. Great background music also means that this party is less fraught than some of the earlier events – an indulgent way to pass a Sunday afternoon. 

 

MURRAY EDWARDS

Time: 4pm – 9pm
Price: £17 before the 19th May, then £18
Get tickets: email [email protected]
Vibe: The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party

The one event that Murray Edwards does really, really well. La Bamba last year was hip-shakingly successful, and this year looks to be better than ever. The venture out to one of the less frequented colleges is worth the trek; the now-famous Rum Challenge on offer last year was one of the highlights of Suicide Sunday and the chilled out vibe is the perfect prelash if you’re planning on ploughing through to Fez or Life, or simply retiring after an alcohol/action-packed day.