Dress to impress or distress

Has the announcement of SSB dates got you buzzing? Or are you just really excited about Halloween? Well, you’re in luck as two Exeter Uni students have been frightfully busy organising one of the biggest Halloween events in Exeter for years.

exeter castle halloween haunted castle

Exeter students Jem Bauermeister and Nick Gillham are organising The Haunted Castle Halloween Ball.

Located in Exeter Castle (the one next to Timepiece), the ball will take advantage of the freaky fact that the last four people in England to be executed for witchcraft were trialled in the Castle and that King Richard III believed that the sight of the castle had cursed him.

 

£3000 has been spent on sound, lighting and décor, including smoke machines, a laser show, a free photo-booth and shisha.

The Ball is spread across :

  • The Courtyard hosts the Hog Roast and a fire show, with the backdrop of the Castle lit up in ghoulish green.
  • The Foyer with two bars, run by Timepiece (with Timepiece prices) and staffed by the undead, obviously.
  • The ‘Chilling Chamber’ to relax in and watch the circus performers and psychedelic projections on the wall.
  •  The Balcony, complete with shisha.
  • The ‘Hall of Harmonies’ for those who want live music.
  • The Ballroom for those who want a DJ set (DJ Thornts).

Events such as The Halloween Ball are key examples of why Exeter Uni has been crowned University of the Year. Almost all of the entertainment is student-sourced: all the live music will be performed by four different student bands, including last year’s Battle of the Bands winner ‘Floods of Colour’, and the Circus Society will be dazzling attendees by ones dancing with fire and general circus tomfoolery.

Plus, it’s organised by two students who’ve dedicated themselves since June to preparing the Ball.

Jem and Nick told The Tab:  “We’ve spoken to people who have been in Exeter for years and nobody can remember the last time there was a big Halloween event run by students. It started out as an event for Birks but as the interest soared beyond what we first imagined we decided to open it up to the whole university!

“Everyone loves doing something for Halloween so we saw it as a great excuse to get people together at a very fitting venue and have a load of fun!”

Mark Gibbs, third year English student, said: “The evening looks like it’ll be a fantastic showcase of what our university’s students can produce and the level of our talent.”

The Ball is on Wednesday 31 October and runs from 7.30pm until 1am.

Check out the facebook page for updates, competitions to win a free ticket and more information.

Get your tickets from The Guild or Original Sin.