Skint? Run out of Daddy’s money? Spent it all on DRA and North Haugh extravaganza’s? Well Comedy society’s Bargain Ball is here to save the day! I collected my wristband from Main Bar earlier on Tuesday, at which I was surprised to see that all ticket bearers received a personalised nickname. What a hoot! As I was given a press pass I was aptly given the nickname: “Fake News”. This filled me with a sense of pride in a way that I should probably speak to student services about – but nevertheless I was ready to get my bargain on! 

The ball was being held at 601… well half of 601 (300.5?), the other half was blocked off. I can only assume this was to make the ball look better attended than it actually was. The poor attendance was, perhaps, the biggest disappointment of Bargain Ball as no matter how much effort one can put into planning and delivering an event, it can be difficult to enjoy it without a good crowd. That’s not to say that Comedy Society didn’t try their absolute best. With standard tickets costing £3 I walked in not really expecting much but (excluding the small crowd) the Comedy Society actually pulled off a fairly decent event! Firstly, the music was cracking (and included the “Hokey Cokey”) and people were dancing and actually having more fun than I’ve seen them have at a Bop ticketed at the same price. Secondly, they’d decorated the room with illustrated instruction on how to “Whip and nae nae” and “Floss”. Thirdly, the dress code – requiring attendees to wear half comfortable/pyjama clothes and half formal wear – was adorned in a way that only St Andrews students could pull it off.

People seemed to be enjoying themselves and were just really happy… a little too happy. I began wondering why everyone was enjoying themselves so much with such a small crowd, and then I saw it. Just below the bar hilariously named: “Pablo Escobar” they were serving Pablos… FOR £3! Yes, I repeat, this is not a drill! £3 Pablos! Well that’s me absolutely sold, as Nigel Farage and the leave campaign would stick on the side of a bus: “We send the Union £3 a week for Bops, let’s spend it on £3 Pablos instead”! You’re spending £15 for £6.50 Pablos at North Haugh Ball? Nah! This was Bargain Ball’s biggest bargain, and it has done them the world of good. People didn’t care about the fact that they were in half of a club with about 30 people all dressed in shorts and blazers, they cared only about having a good Tuesday evening that they can’t remember thanks to the cheapest Pablos known to mankind. Well played Comedy Soc, well played.