After attending the Emmanuel May Ball last year and being blown over by walking dinosaurs, GIF making and dodgems, I was eager to try this year's June event. The theme, ‘Eureka’, made for an interesting night; it's ambiguity meant decorations could be anything from books, to phones, to light bulbs.

On arriving, I was still unconvinced by the theme. Of course, Cambridge is the heartland of academia, but I was unsure how a committee could pull of an entire event based on 'ideas'.
But the June Event was an idea in itself. I was pleasantly surprised at how fun-packed and entertaining the shortened May Ball was. The question for discussion throughout the entire evening was what distinguished the June Event from the May Ball. Of course the duration was an obvious difference, but two friends and I were unable to put our finger on any other notable differences.

After arriving to the tune of bongo drums, and walking through a colourfully lit subway decorated with coloured chemical test tubes, there was a cocktail bar awaiting guests in Front Court. The drinks on offer around the college were of good quality and quantity, including authentic cider, Pimm’s and rum.

The food, however, was the ultimate selling point, with offerings ranging from an Aromi stand, a Taste van, and the classic Belgian waffle. Though the food was themeless it was of the highest quality.

However, the long queues were too long. To wait 30 minutes for a waffle, or 45 for a slice of pizza was, in my opinion, unacceptable. Clearly the committee had opted for quality over quantity, though as the evening drew on the queues became shorter and more bearable.The only stand without a noticeable queue was for the kangaroo, camel, and buffalo skewers, which I think the majority of guests avoided out of fear of attempting a drunken version of 'I’m a Celebrity'.

The music on the main stage was perhaps the highlight of the event. Dirty Blonde performed an array of timeless classics, followed by the Bulletproof Bomb and culminating with Truly Medley Deeply.

However my favourites were inside, where the Churchill jazz band and TRYSD could be found. Although one of the headline acts, Elis James, failed to impress, the smaller acts that featured in the 'Newton's Orchard' really made an impact, such as Emma's own Laura-May and Roisin and Zoe Wren.

But the fun didn't end there. Upstairs, dance mats, arcade games, even a Nintendo Wii were present, and at one o’clock in the morning these childish pleasures were a perfect form of light-hearted entertainment. Dr Bendini's Splendiferous Medicine show was quite possibly one of the most gruesome and horrifying acts I have seen for a long time – not quite a rival to the dinosaurs that appeared in the paddock last year, but indeed an act which had the 'horror' factor.

Every corner, court and paddock was packed with curiosities. The June Event was certainly adventurous, but I didn't seem to have many 'Eureka' moments. Of course the theme was a tough one to pull off, especially after the success of last year.
However, an 'idea' requires a level of intellectual curiosity, and so Emma's bold and audacious attempt at creating a June event was certainly an experience of the peculiar.