Alternative forms of celebration are under consideration for the end of Easter Term ‘should the situation permit it’JOHANNES HJORTH

The King’s Affair event has been cancelled for 2021, it has been confirmed in an email seen by Varsity this evening (19/02).

The King’s Affair is an annual event which trades on the premise of being an “antidote to the monotony of traditional balls” where “tuxedo and floor-length gowns are exchanged for magnificent fancy dress costumes”.

The Chairperson for the King’s Affair 2021 said in the email that event preparations have been delayed “in the current climate” and “become an impossible task”, since the majority of the Committee is not situated in Cambridge and is “thus unable to perform site visits or other necessary tasks”. This has consequently set back the timetable for planning, which is ordinarily completed by the end of Lent term.

The email also said that if the event were to go ahead, “there would be a significant risk of cancellation” and no guarantee that refunds could be provided, which has therefore led them to not be able to “in good conscience [...] sell tickets for an event we may be unable to refund at a later date.”


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The statement additionally cited “the possibility of a spike in Covid cases in the College community” as a significant factor in coming to the decision, with the Committee not “comfortable with taking that risk, especially as some members of our community and their relatives are vulnerable.”

The email said that alternative forms of celebration for the end of Easter term are being considered “should the situation permit it.”

This announcement follows the cancellation of other May Week events at Queens’, Trinity and Trinity Hall.

In January, The May Ball Presidents’ Committee, comprising the Presidents and Chairs of all major May Week Events, released a statement outlining plans for organisers of May Week events to make individual judgements about whether to go ahead with events this year.