Homerton May Ball announced “an unforgettable evening filled with change and exotic promise”; a promise initially fulfilled, with plentiful champagne and programmes whilst queuing, waiter service in the main marquee and Chinese lanterns illuminating the oft-unexplored beauty of Homerton’s grounds.

But so swept up in the Eastern vision were the committee that they had forgotten the British weather: heaters and hot drinks were absent. The “minimalist Chinese effect” translated into seating shortages, a drought of Pimm’s by midnight and a defini­­te insufficiency of toilets.

On the whole, however, the great British art of queuing failed to make as arduous an appearance as is often the case at May Balls. The food was varied, although the Far East made only a single culinary appearance in the form of generous portions of stir-fry. Entertainments ranged from sophisticated swing to eclectic rock, throwing comedy, magic shows and tango into the mix . Churchill Casino and the dodgems proved popular, and DJ sets in the Great Hall meant there was always somewhere to dance.

The headliners, Ghosts, almost lived up to their name, being both out of sight behind a mass of ball gowns and out of sound for 40 minutes due to technical problems, but were enthusiastically greeted when they returned to life. As we had expected, Xian was almost exclusively Homertonian, and consequently felt somewhat like an overgrown school prom.

But this proved not to be a huge problem: for us outsiders the ball offered a friendly and unpretentious atmosphere, without omitting some elegant touches and admirable attention to detail, despite the occasional sacrifices of practicality for promise.

Catherine Hall
and Jo Trigg