BE BRIGHT: The Xavier Ball Story

This year’s Xavier Ball, held at Crail Airfield, offered attendees a night of dancing, bonfires, and an excuse to wear comfy printed clothes instead of the usual St Andrews black tie.

With support from a large committee, the event was widely publicized, campaigning: BE BRIGHT! And bright they were in their Rafiki Fabrix, a top choice of outfit for one of the town’s less traditional balls.

Making a change from the usual black tie

Facing a name change from the well-known Bongo Ball to Xavier Ball, the event was revamped to show greater support for the Xavier Project, a charity project that aims to provide refugee children access to formal education.

The Ball raises funds to help send refugee children to school and provide equal opportunities for all children, and over the past eight years, the group has managed to raise over £44,000 for the Xavier Project.

While some students complained about the steep price of tickets at £35 each, the ticket included free chips, Vita Coco water, Tunnocks caramel wafers, a free drink, and a night of great music, dancing, and outdoor bonfires with friends.

The dance floor, less full than usual but with great DJs

Getting buses from outside Younger Hall, attendees were ushered 20 minutes away to Crail Airfield, the perfect venue for a fantastic night out.

However, as with many events, there were a few hiccups. From a bus breaking down on the way to the usual over-crowded bar, some surprise issues put a damper on the evening.

While the “unbelievably inexpensive” bar did not live up to some peoples’ expectations, the overall experience of the evening seemed to make up for the usual complaints received by Ball committees.

However, when it comes down to hosting such a popular event, as our writer Piers put it: “for £35 a ticket, you’ve got to do better than that…with slightly cheaper tickets and better marketing, this event could have been outstanding.”

Having a wild time

With a wide array of entertainment, guests could be found dancing and enjoying the music all night long. From Asquire and DJ Flo & Jazuno to Alasdair Todd, Joe Grimeh, and Malcom Ectasy x Happy Trillmore, there were DJs for everybody’s tastes.

The featured acts were Remedy singer Little Boots and Tudor Lion, who had crowds on their feet dancing all night.

Ashton Squires was on the decks

The party didn’t stop there, as sponsors provided amazing raffle prizes, including vouchers for St Andrews restaurants, a makeup tutorial and £250 of free products at Bobbi Brown, trips to Loch Lomond and the Highlands, and some other great freebies.

The Ball Director, Drew said, “The night itself was the culmination of months of serious team work – so it felt amazing as it unfolded smoothly without any major hiccups. We were really pleased with the music and especially happy with our student DJs! Overall, our guests seemed to be very happy.”

Looking wavy

Overall, the night was a great opportunity to have fun with friends outside of the Bubble, dress to impress in bright patterns, and party all night on the dance floor or at the bonfire while raising money for Xavier Project.

The event wasn’t nearly as crowded as usual, owing to steep ticket prices, and, according to Piers “many people seemingly bailed on the event at last minute.”

While some people enjoy the intimacy of smaller events (and shorter queues at the bar!) better organisation and planning could greatly improve attendance at what is usually considered a fabulous night.

All images courtesy of Ampersand Media.
Photographers: Yaz Ashmawi and Lorelei Pfeffer