Around 1800 undergraduates dressed in lavish ball gowns and tuxedos for the end-of-term party, which ended with a spectacular fireworks display. The sold-out ball is the largest event of the Cambridge student social calendar and some students queued for three hours to get into the party yesterday evening.
Many huddled under umbrellas, which some even co-ordinated to match their dresses, whilst others wore top hats and tails. Guests were treated to a lavish five-course meal served in Trinity Great Hall, then students could tuck in to oysters, a hog roast and a chocolate fountain, while drinks were served from a floating punt on the river. They were then treated to entertainment from comedians, as well as a casino and jazz tent before sitting in punts on the historic Backs to watch the fireworks light up the skies around midnight.
Some then continued partying overnight with drunken punt rides on the River Cam and a champagne breakfast in the college gardens. Students from Clare College also attended their May Ball, with tickets costing up to £200 each. Undergraduates could pay £20 to queue jump and were treated to entertainment by garage band Artful Dodger and dance duo Blonde.
Trinity May Ball is held on the first Monday of May Week, which always takes place in June after exams. The first one took place in 1866 when the First Trinity team was head of the river and it has evolved over the 20th century. The ball has continued every year since, apart from 1910 when King Edward VII died and between 1939 and 1945 during the Second World War.
Trinity College was founded in 1546 by Henry VIII and is the largest college in either Oxford or Cambridge.
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