Sidney Sussex May Ball had it all. From start to finish, guests were treated to a whole spectrum of visual delights all inspired by the simple but very imaginative theme ‘LIGHT’. Not only did this bypass the common issue of ‘scene’ disappearing into the surroundings as dusk becomes night, but it made it possible to bring in all college areas and buildings simply with a projection, or judiciously-placed LEDs – every corner of the event was flashing or glowing, and the guests loved it! In fact, from 11:10 precisely, they were glowing themselves, as the entry wristbands were programmed to light up in sync: this elicited a huge cheer from the crowd that had gathered at mainstage for an unspecified spectacle - in red, yellow, green and blue, everyone’s wrist flashed in a matching party-pulse all evening after that. 

But the strong visual elements didn’t stop Sidney achieving what many colleges overlook - there was tons to interact with. We were thrilled by activities like LaserMaze (which I got a bit too into), Crazy Golf, boat swings, and a huge LED mirror thingy that showed revelers in inverted colours on a screen, as well as hired dancing ‘Glow Men’ getting funky on the dance floor in lit-up morphsuits. The only light features that were a little less impressive were the ‘Viewfinder’, a smoke-and-laser-filled gateway installation intended to welcome attendees on entry (the smoke kept blowing away) and the Planetarium, where guests lay inside an inflatable dome and spent 4 minutes watching what appeared to be a Windows screensaver projected on the ceiling. It was described by one girl as “better with your eyes closed”, and another noted “I thought there were going to be planets”. 

Despite the overall ingenuity of the scene, other features were not neglected: the food was largely wonderful – we sampled the hog roast and the paella with relish, although the pre-made crepes were less than illuminating, and the cocktails, set up under a round dome covered in charming fairy lights, were delicious – we actually missed an act on Mainstage because we couldn’t abandon the lychee martinis! On top of all that, the music was completely brilliant. Although smaller tents maybe didn’t get as much attention at they deserved, the main stage proved that May Ball-ers need good music far more than they need big-name headliners – and Turf, curating, couldn’t have delivered more. The sophisticated soul of Fatima & Eglo Live Band had everyone getting down in the early evening, and wonderful afro-beat collective Afriquoi made sure everyone stayed on a high before Giles Peterson took to the decks. Our personal favourite band, though, was Ouse Valley Collective, a chaotic skiffle group that threatened to fizz over the edge of the stage like a jogged glass of champagne; they had the whole of Chapel court stomping and spinning in no time.

Biggest credit to the committee is for the organisation - striking the perfect balance between filling the site and avoiding queues, designing a slick App that gave us helpful hints like ‘popcorn and candyfloss in the porter’s lodge now!’, and keeping the loos functional and even acceptable right through the night (unheard of). The feeling of exuberance on-site extended even to the friendly staff and security, and we could have stayed in the glowing woods far past 5am.