King's affair. Very tricky. May Balls generally go in for spectacle and getting the most out of them involves trying to keep in touch with people and making sure you're in the right place at the right time to see the right acts. Doing the rounds and sampling assorted burgers and aperitifs is also vital. It can feel like a bit of a chore, and there's a danger of feeling like you might be missing out on something, especially since the atmosphere at Balls can be pretty variable and widely distributed.

King's Affair is not a May Ball. It is, however, very good. It's stand-out feature is probably it's wealth and variety of excellent music. King's did a great job of bringing in a range of great DJs (student and professional) who, scattered across five or so rooms, filled the evening with lovely music. It was incredibly easy to drift from room to room, sampling the smorgasbord of samples, indulging in some frantic floor-fillers in the JCR, sinking into a dingy cellar and surfacing in the Chetwynd room for endlessly mellow and literally endless (5 hours actually) set offered up by Soulclap - possibly one of the best bookings this May Week. Delightful for aficionados and the uninitiated alike.

For those prepared to cross the lawn (best accessed via the obligatory Silent Disco), there was the opportunity to recline on the floor of King's Chapel for acoustic music - the trip was primarily a good chance to grab snacks from vans smattered across the grass.

In some ways, King's Affair is like May Week events for Dummies. Feed people something edible, provide drinks that are drinkable (ideally not the relentlessly disappointing cocktails watering many Balls - not King's though) and play very good music. It's a simple formula that is extremely well executed and provides maximum good-times minus pomp and ceremony.

Returning to earlier claims about the nature of May Balls, it can feel like you have to try to have fun  - King's is much more laid back, and consequently, much more fun. The lack of spectacle makes for a much more participatory, immersive experience. Like I said, it was very, very good. But even the best nights must end and I really must go to bed now.