REVIEW: Emma May Ball
ELLIE OLCOTT had a surreal night of fun and wants to tell you all about it
Tab Rating: 4.5 Stars
Emma was one of the first of a string of successful May Balls.
The queue for the Ball snaked around Emma and we were standing there for well over an hour. Bus drivers muscled their way around the hoards of students with undue anger.
Any sense of fatigue or trepidation immediately vanished upon entrance to the ball.
The atmosphere was electric with a Steel Band injecting energy into the guests. This sense of giddiness was only enhanced by the obligatory first glass of “champagne”.
For a princely sum of £130, 2000 guests enjoyed a “Naturalis Historiae” (roughly translates into Natural History) themed evening of opulence and fun.
The theme could not have been more fitting. The decorations at the entrance foreshadowed what was a fantastic evening.
Entering the main Ball through a multicoloured psychedelic tunnel impressed the guests.
The organisation for the Ball was phenomenal. The food was scrumptious with a choice varying from paella to pizza. A sufficient variety of drinks was on, some of which were dubiously toxic coloured.
The entertainment was great. I tried my hand at mini golf, which I was able to win despite being totally inept at the whole stick/ball malarkey. I shall resign to only playing sports with inebriated opponents – they tend to pay less attention to one’s devious tactics.
There was also the standard set of dodgems, swings and comedy tent- all of which were predictably fun.
Tucked away at the back of the ball was a chill-out zone for party-goers to rest their feet before returning to the gin-fuelled frenzy.
Projected on a screen above a plethora of bean bags were rotating images of our beautiful planet along with some dulcet tunes.
There was so much to be done, but it was not an overwhelmingly large ball. The committee did a fine job of catering for so many people yet also making the experience intimate.
No doubt the most amusing part of the evening was the sight of hundreds of sweaty university students, clad in black tie going crazy for Pendulum.
The euphoria peaked with the rendition of Blood Sugar and Tarantula, both songs reminding you of one’s angsty 13-year-old self.
Standing on the front row of the crowd, aggressive mosh pitting was inevitable.
One particular irritating girl was victim to my most deathly stare after having stamped on my pedicured feet. As if such retribution was not enough, I was pleased to see her frantic movements on the dance floor had resulted in her fake eyelashes dropping off her face.
After feeling sufficiently invigorated after the Pendulum set, I had a gander around the gardens. The lights in the foliage around Emma made the Ball truly magical. Thousands of fairy lights throughout Emma created an enchanting atmosphere.
It is the little touches which make forking out so much money worthwhile. The bizarre moving T-Rex at the beginning of the night, the stacks of warm Millie’s cookies, the magicians on stilts all served to enhance what was a fantastic evening.
The night slipped away all too quickly. 9 hours of revelling culminated with an impressive set from Jovis & The Bedwetters which saw students dancing into the early hours of the morning.
Food and Drink: 4/5
Entertainment: 4/5
Wow Factor: 6/5
Value for Money: 5/5
Star Attraction: The friendly T-Rex at the entrance