Oxford’s first ‘Yule Ball’ was held at Wolfson
College on Saturday 17th November. Originally
described as a “whimsical idea” devised by the
‘Wizengamot’ (Harry Potter Society committee
members) a year ago, the ball ended up selling
“much quicker than we ever could have hoped
for” according to Michael Flagg, Treasurer of the
Harry Potter Society.
It was the largest event ever hosted by the
year-old society. Hanna Sundahl, Founder and
President of the Society, admitted to feeling
slightly anxious in the lead up to the ball, commenting, “At first I felt apprehensive about
whether we would be able to meet all our goals,
but, from what I felt and from what I’ve heard
from many attendees, it was a huge success!”
Over 150 students paid £150 to attend the ball.
Flagg said, “All in all, the ball was a fantastic success!” The enthusiasm of the ‘Wizengamot’ was
matched by attendees of the ball, with Louisa
Manning of St Peter’s College stating, “The Yule
Ball was awesome!”
Emily Gibson, a student at St Catz, said, “The
Ball was without question a success. It was the
perfect combination of classy and quirky.”
The night began with a sparkling wine reception and a sit down dinner, during which guests
were treated to a spectacular owl display. For
many, including Manning, this was the highlight. She explained, “Got to love the real owls.
They were REAL.” Dancing began with OUDS
ballroom dancing (in witches’ costumes), and
followed with by the band ‘Snique Pique’ playing magical themed songs including ‘Do the
Hippogriff.’ Although the dress code was black
tie, the invitation urged guests to don “dress
robes, velvet capes and Luna-inspired lion-surmounted hats.” Edel Garner had a particularly
lucky night, winning both the best-dressed
competition and emerging from the Goblet of
Fire as one of three champions in the raffle. All
the magic-inspired games went down very well,
from pin the sock on Dobby to palm reading
with Professor Tralawney and even Gringotts
Goblins casino. Henna tattooists were there to
cover guests in notorious quotations such as “I
must not tell lies”, “I solemnly swear I am up to
no good” and the death-spell “Avada Kedavra.”
The ‘Three Broomsticks’ bar supplied a number of themed cocktails, such as ‘Oh my Godric’,
‘The-drink-that-must-not-be-named’ and, for
the more reckless drinkers, ‘Vodkamort,’ served
alongside the Hogwarts classics, Butterbeer
and Firewhisky.
For those of who missed out on the ‘Yule Ball’
G&D’s specially concocted butterbeer ice-cream
is still available to be sampled in shops around
Oxford.
Oxford’s first ‘Yule Ball’ was held at Wolfson College on Saturday 17th November. Originally described as a “whimsical idea” devised by the ‘Wizengamot’ (Harry Potter Society committee members) a year ago, the ball ended up selling “much quicker than we ever could have hoped for” according to Michael Flagg, Treasurer of the Harry Potter Society. It was the largest event ever hosted by the year-old society.
Hanna Sundahl, Founder and President of the Society, admitted to feeling slightly anxious in the lead up to the ball, commenting, “At first I felt apprehensive about whether we would be able to meet all our goals, but, from what I felt and from what I’ve heard from many attendees, it was a huge success!”
Over 150 students paid £150 to attend the ball. Flagg said, “All in all, the ball was a fantastic success!” The enthusiasm of the ‘Wizengamot’ was matched by attendees of the ball, with Louisa Manning of St Peter’s College stating, “The Yule Ball was awesome!”
Emily Gibson, a student at St Catz, said, “The Ball was without question a success. It was the perfect combination of classy and quirky.”
The night began with a sparkling wine reception and a sit down dinner, during which guests were treated to a spectacular owl display. For many, including Manning, this was the highlight. She explained, “Got to love the real owls. They were REAL.”
Dancing began with OUDS ballroom dancing (in witches’ costumes), and followed with by the band ‘Snique Pique’ playing magical themed songs including ‘Do the Hippogriff.’ Although the dress code was black tie, the invitation urged guests to don “dress robes, velvet capes and Luna-inspired lion-surmounted hats.”
Edel Garner had a particularly lucky night, winning both the best-dressed competition and emerging from the Goblet of Fire as one of three champions in the raffle. All the magic-inspired games went down very well, from pin the sock on Dobby to palm reading with Professor Tralawney and even Gringotts Goblins casino. Henna tattooists were there to cover guests in notorious quotations such as “I must not tell lies”, “I solemnly swear I am up to no good” and the death-spell “Avada Kedavra.”
The ‘Three Broomsticks’ bar supplied a number of themed cocktails, such as ‘Oh my Godric’, ‘The-drink-that-must-not-be-named’ and, for the more reckless drinkers, ‘Vodkamort,’ served alongside the Hogwarts classics, Butterbeer and Firewhisky.
For those of who missed out on the ‘Yule Ball’ G&D’s specially concocted butterbeer ice-cream is still available to be sampled in shops around Oxford.
