Disappointed: One Camfess described the event as “genuinely the worst night I have ever had”Law Ball Committee

The Cambridge Law Society ball came under a deluge of criticism yesterday (28/11) on Camfess, a Facebook page which posts anonymous submissions from Cambridge students.

The Camfessions claimed that there wasn’t enough food and drink, that the silent disco ended early and that there was a “near stampede” to get on the coach. One even compared the event to the ill-fated Fyre Festival.

However, eyewitnesses and organisers have defended the ball against allegations of mismanagement.

Advertised as the biggest law ball yet, 1000 guests attended, with the first 900 tickets selling out within an hour of release.

The Christmas Carol-themed event advertised a silent disco, Christmas-themed drinks and several food stalls, but many alleged that the experience was not worth its £95 price tag.

The ball was held outside the Impington Holiday Inn, a 20 minute drive from central Cambridge.

One disgruntled post alleged that there was a “near stampede of people fighting” to get on the coach. However, one attendee told Varsity that the line was “nothing unexpected for a large event” and “nothing different from [his] experience of the 2019 ball.” Another blamed the cold weather for the pushing and shoving: “People are drunk and freezing, what do you expect?”

The posts also claimed that the tent was cold and dark because of power cuts. One guest said that while she knew “that it was meant to be Christmas Carol themed”, she didn’t expect to “have a candlelit Victorian experience.” Organisers however clarified that only the first 45 minutes of the event were affected by electricity issues, with a back-up generator powering the rest of the night.

Another submission suggested that there was a “near crush” to get into the silent disco, but according to two other witnesses, the queue was short, troubled only by the behavior of a group “shoving and being rude to the bouncers.” Less the result of mismanagement, attendees said the issues were down to a shortage of headphones because people left with them on.


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The anonymous posts further alleged that since the silent disco ended three hours early, guests were left “standing around” for an hour before the coaches arrived – reduced to singing “Sweet Caroline” for entertainment. However, organisers told Varsity that the disco went on as planned till midnight, and that those who could not get in had “a wider programme of entertainment” to enjoy instead.

Several guests were also left frustrated by the coaches returning them to Queens’ Backs instead of Parker’s Piece as planned, with one telling of a “long walk home in 6-inch heels” as a result. Organisers said that the coaches’ destination had to be changed on the night to get students back to Cambridge faster.

Despite one guest claiming the committee were not up to delivering an event of this size, organisers told Varsity that they had received no official complaints from attendees and thought “most people had a great night.”