Homerton May Ball promised us a ‘House of Fun’ and it certainly delivered. I must admit that initially I was a little disappointed when the theme of the ball was announced; it felt a little overdone. For a college that is celebrated for its creativity, I couldn’t help but feel that the idea was a little… unoriginal. I walked into the ball expecting big tops, fairground attractions and candy floss and that is exactly what I got. However, the committee delivered such a beautifully executed event that the cliché theme suddenly seemed incredibly appropriate for an occasion with such a euphoric atmosphere.

“...the college’s very own HOJO were met with cheers of Homertonian pride.”

Despite the fact that Homerton’s ball had one of the lowest budgets across the university, Ents put on an absolutely stellar performance. We danced the night away at the silent disco, made ourselves dizzy on the helter skelter and sang our hearts out (admittedly very out of tune) during karaoke.

Everyone quickly forgot that Charlie XCX and Scouting for Girls weren’t headlining as the college’s very own HOJO were met with cheers of Homertonian pride. Watching everyone attempt to dance along to the Ceilidh band was particularly amusing and the Ents officers had clearly spent a lot of time ensuring that there was something for everyone to participate in. The event would have benefited from some form of entertainment while guests were queuing, although saying that, the lines were surprisingly small and moved swiftly for an event with such a large capacity.

The food and drink were perfectly in line with the ball’s theme and on the whole a wide variety of tastes were catered for. Many of my meat-eating friends assured me that the pulled pork was heavenly, but there seemed to be a universal dissatisfaction among us vegetarians. The Wandering Yak gave us veggies our fill of falafel and halloumi for the period that they were at the ball, but after they left there was definitely a lack of meat-free savoury food. Although, there was a plethora of tasty desserts available throughout the night, including the lovely touch of hiring a local family-run business to help us roast our own marshmallows.

“Perhaps the area that I was most impressed with was design, and the incredible intricacy of so many of the decorations”

I was incredibly impressed by the selection of drinks that were flowing all night- whether you were partial to prosecco, or more or a VK kind of guy, it was nearly certain your drink of choice would be available. More importantly, the alcohol never ran out so everyone was able to maintain a merry level of tipsiness throughout the evening.

Perhaps the area that I was most impressed with was design, and the incredible intricacy of so many of the decorations. From handmade table pieces to meticulously painted signs, the designer officers’ attention to detail was astounding and I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of time and dedication that must have gone into make the venue look as stunning as it did.

Homerton’s May Ball was undeniably a huge success. What struck me most about the event was how the committee managed to completely transform the college into a vibrant fairground, whilst also maintaining the friendly and welcoming atmosphere that makes Homerton so special. Thank you to everyone who organized and ran the event; it certainly was an evening that none of us will be forgetting about anytime soon