In a May Ball season with a series of rather vague and clichéd themes – Uninhabitable, Beyond and Infusion, anyone? –Newnham June Event’s offering, Cosmos, seems entirely unremarkable. Where it marks a departure from tradition, however, is in straying from the traditionally more childish or gentle themes associated both with Newnham’s events as well as fellow all-women college Murray Edwards.

It’s clear that the Cosmos theme is something which is important to the strikingly enthusiastic committee. President Katharine Scorer’s influence in driving this is plain to see – the members of the committee were set research assignments as their first duty in planning the event – and it’s obvious in the way they talk about how their areas, whether that be food, drinks, or the logistics of portable toilets, that the theme plays the key role in deciding the set-up of the ball.

For example, as guests enter through the Pfeiffer Arch, the first thing they will be able to see is the main stage, itself designed to reflect the unearthly nature of the ball. While, in the words of Scorer, “the bands are the only things we haven’t changed the names of”, music officer Katie Hind still sees the links to Cosmos. Having pulled off a strong (and early-announced) headliner in the shape of Snakehips, the next step was to represent the act as a part of the zodiac. Cosmos seems set to reflect both the physical and metaphysical aspects of the heavens. 

Despite the strength of the major music acts, though, I was more intrigued by how the remaining ents were to be set up in Newnham’s famously picturesque grounds. Ents co-ordinator Catherine Lyon was keen to let me know that the visual aspect of the ents was going to be key, with various acts floating around the areas of the event to minimise queueing and make the event feel more fluid.

Variety is clearly going to be an important part of the entertainment, particularly compared with other June Events – there won’t be any dodgems, for example – but the committee seem certain that nobody will get bored thanks to the “adult play” area toward the rear part of the college. This is set to feature a range of “games” that the committee were rather cagey about – though if the planning in this area is as meticulous as in others then guests should be confident they won’t feel bored.

While the food and drink is linked to the overall theme – with a range of special space-branded cocktails – it seems as though less creative effort has been put into this area compared to the ents. Food and drink co-ordinators Lucy Roxburgh and Alisa Santikarn suggested that we can expect the standard range of May Week food and drink, though were eager in asserting that Cosmos will have a greater amount of food and drink per head than many May Balls - “and we finish earlier as well”.

The design and decoration of the event, however, is set to be strong. With Newnham’s sprawling grounds as a backdrop, expect plenty of interesting use of light and space. As well as the shaped main stage, guests can expect the design of other areas to reflect the unearthly theme well; I particularly like the use of the Old Labs, hidden deeper within the gardens, as an acoustic stage. In a final twist on the theme, it seems that after sunset, as the stars come out, guests can expect the event to “open up” fully.

With a committee highly focused on their theme, diverse and novel events, and plenty of food and drink to go around, this year’s Newnham June Event is set to be one of the better (and cheaper) events this summer – the committee is certainly shooting for the stars.

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