Teddy Hall Ball has been cancelled following poor ticket sales.
The event, with a Drop Dead Gorgeous theme, was scheduled to take place on the 7th May, but could not compete with the other high profile balls taking place in Oxford this summer.
The ball website had promised an evening of “Gothic decadence and desires”, during which guests could expect to “indulge in a gluttonous feast and and explore Teddy Hall’s labyrinth of tricks and fancies, to be captivated by intriguing, intimate performances in the glittering front quad.”
Ticket sales suffered due to a lack of interest both outside and from within the college. One member of the college commented that £85 was too much to pay for what they labelled would be nothing more than “a glorified bop”.
However, Ball Committee President Genevieve Wastie blamed competition from “large balls, like Catz for example, which was much larger than normal non-commemoration balls.”
She told Cherwell that, “a great deal of effort went into planning the event and we are all still sad that in the end a cancellation was necessary.”
Wastie reported that only around half of the tickets had been sold, but that no money had been lost by either the Ball Committee or the JCR.
She also confirmed that everyone who had bought a ticket for the Ball had already been given their money back.
Teddy Hall JCR President Josh Coulson claimed that “for a number of reason the Ball Committee felt a smaller event would be more appropriate.”
The ball will be replaced by a summer barbeque. Coulson commented, “The JCR is very excited about the summer party this week…Everyone seems to be happy about this and we are expecting a good Teddy Hall attendance at what should be a fantastic event this weekend.”
