The Balliol Speakeasy Ball has been cancelled as a result of “underwhelming” ticket sales.
An online statement issued by the Balliol Ball Committee explained that it was “economically impossible” to go ahead with the ball, as ticket sales outside of the College were not strong enough.
The decision to cancel the ball was taken by College authorities, after increased attempts at raising the publicity of the ball had failed to boost demand for tickets.
The Committee said they were “incredibly disappointed and frustrated that this has happened”.
The Ball Secretary explained, “Few sales were made outside of the college. Almost all tickets that were purchased outside of the battel system were bought by close friends of college members, or alumni. We were unable to sell enough tickets to even approach breaking even.”
The negative press which followed Balliol’s last summer ball has been cited to as a factor contributing to a lack of interest in this year’s event. Last year’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Ball was followed by complaints relating to the availability of food and drink, as well as the quality of entertainment on offer.
In a letter to Balliol JCR, the Ball Committee referred directly to the damage caused to the reputation of Balliol stating such negativity had subsequently “spiraled”.
Of the ball’s cancellation, a fourth year Balliol student commented, “In a large part it was due to the bad publicity that they were burdened with from last year. I heard that a large part of the budget was spent on securing DJ Yoda’s appearance, which could have been a mistake.
“Most people at Balliol are upset that it has been cancelled. Our balls may not be as glamorous as other Colleges but they are always fun if you’re at Balliol”.
The Ball Committee has confirmed that all those who purchased tickets for this year’s ball will be refunded. In a statement addressed to attendees the Committee said, “We can only express our great unhappiness about this unfortunate situation, and apologise to all JCR members that such events have transpired”.
The Speakeasy Ball was scheduled to take place on the same night as six other College balls. It faced competition from St Hugh’s Secret Garden Party, which has sold over 2000 tickets, and The Keble Ball, which recently increased its proposed attendance to over 1000 people.
The ball was due to be held on Saturday of second week. It promised to transport guest “to a secret world of recklessness and elegance” and was set to feature the hip-hop artist DJ Yoda.
The terms of the cancellation will be discussed in detail at the first Balliol JCR general meeting of next term when a Ball Committee report will be delivered to JCR members.
