As one of the many people who queued outside the union with my friends for two hours and did not get a ticket, I can say with all honestly that when a press pass fell my way, I was already looking forward to this event more than any others I have been to so far in my short time at St Andrews. Of course my friends and I should have been more serious about our ticket game and turned up at at least 7am instead of what we thought of as an eager hour before. The £35 entry was like a golden ticket as the run up to the event saw these tickets being sold on Facebook for ridiculous prices and selling in minutes. With all this madness descending just for a ticket to a party, I was excited to see what the Mermaids had in store for everybody and to see if the craziness was worth the energy that people probably should have been saving for their uni work.

We decided to check out the pre-event in the Union which was hosted by the Just-So Society and featured performances from The Accidentals. On offer at the bar were two festive cocktails and as we sipped our Santa Surprises and took in the wonderful musical theatre vibes from Just-So, I knew that they were on to a winner. The pre-event in the union felt inclusive for everybody, it meant that everyone could enjoy the Christmasy vibes together, get some snaps courtesy of the photo booths and utilise the union’s cheap drinks. It was also ideal to launch the buses from the union instead of the over-used bus stops that are Parliament Hall or Madras College. Despite the bus situation being a bit hectic and sporadic as the surge of people trying to get to the event at the last minute arrived, it was an appreciated feature.

As we arrived in St Andrews’ favourite venue, Kinkell Byre, there was only one thing to do – eat. Platters and platters of Turkish delight lay waiting to tempt you just like Edmond was by the White Witch; it was certain the guests were ready to be corrupted as the Mermaids set the tone for the night. A few more steps into the venue and there were chocolate fountains served with anything of your choice from profiteroles, marshmallows, fudge and fruit. Before I even had the chance to grab something to quench my thirst, yet another food option became available as the lovely people from Janetta’s were offering up the classic ball snack.

With rumours indicating that over 1,700 students were at the event, one could definitely feel that was the case. The venue was packed to the brim with beautifully dressed girls and boys as it became tricky to get a cheeky group photo with your friends or catch up with those you hadn’t seen in a while. Thank goodness that the committee anticipated this though, as an extra tent at the back of the dance floor was set up for those who wanted a bit more space. Although this extra tent boasted a much quieter bar and food stands, including Butlers wrap and an amazing nacho stand which I more than took for granted; it seemed slightly more empty than it should have been as people probably overlooked its location. With couches and a nice place to rest some sore feet after a dance session, this was the perfect place to crash for a while to do some mingling.

Of course, what the Mermaids do best is to bring the theatre of it all together, and to the excitement of us all, the Owl Eyes santa sleigh photo opportunity featuring Santa and his elf was back. Observing 20 year olds getting excited to see Santa is really a sight to behold and gave plenty of giggles as the groups had to fight for who could sit on Santa’s knee.

After exploring all of the vast entertainment that was on offer, it really did feel like we were in Narnia. The space was utilised in such a way that you didn’t know what you would find around the next corner – matching their theme to a tee. With everything explored, there was only one option left and that was to dance. The main stage featured Black Sheep who played some fantastic classic covers that everybody knew the words to. Next, The Correspondents brought a quirky edge with the two-man act amping the crowd up to the next level. Finally, the acts were completed with DJ Asquire whose festive injected set-list was by far the crowd favourite as it looked like Christmas had came early for the ecstatic crowd.

Overall, all the craziness over the tickets was not for the want of nothing. The night saw the end of the semester out on a high and all the days of studying that are upon us will be made slightly better from such a good night to enjoy as our last. All the profits for the ball go straight back in to the Mermaids Performing Arts Fund and I for one will be definitely checking out a lot more of their productions after seeing what they are capable of.

It is true that anyone who has Christmas as a theme is not going to fail. Everybody loves Christmas, and it could even be said that people love Christmas Ball just as much as the day it commemorates.

 

WORDS BY KATHARINE GEMMELL