Lady’s Guide to the Emmanuel College June Event

Today I want to share about my experience at the Emmanuel College June Event in Cambridge. This university party is a great English tradition, and a fun night out. Read on to see what it’s all about.

Emmanuel College June Event

One of the things I love about universities like Cambridge is tradition. Whether it’s punting on the river or wearing strange (to me, anyway) gowns during dinner, there are all kinds of quirky things that make these academic institutions unique.

Most visitors don’t get to see the traditions that take place behind the scenes, but every once in a while a special opportunity arises. One of them did so for me this week: the Emmanuel College June Event.

Many colleges at Cambridge have an event every June, be it a ball or a party. They usually rotate between May Balls (parties that go until 6am), June Events (parties that go until 3am), and garden parties.

The events are only open to current students, alums, and their guests, so there’s a certain amount of intrigue for outsiders.

I happen to have a friend getting a PhD at Cambridge, and have heard her speak about the great lengths the colleges go to for their May Balls and June Events.

From sponsored bars to carnival rides, ice luges to live music, they spare no expense.

My friend’s boyfriend is in a master’s program at Emmanuel College in Cambridge, which held its June Event on Sunday.

They invited me along to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at the balls, so I picked out a pretty dress and joined them for the adventure.

Emmanuel College June Event Experience

We queued up for the Emmanuel College June Event at 8pm even though the event didn’t start until 9. According to my friend, those in the know arrive an hour early because ID checks take so long that most people have to wait an hour or more just to get in.

She was right. At 10pm we made it to the entrance, got our wristbands, and walked through a tunnel under the street to get to the grounds.

Emmanuel College—which is called Emma for short—was every bit as pretty on the inside as it was from the outside, with a series of courtyards decorated in a medieval theme befitting the title of the event, “Quest: A June Adventure”.

There was a welcome shot in the New Court, which had been renamed the Castle Court for the night.

Medieval banners hung from historic facades, and the smell of burgers wafted from a grill on one side of a table full of mead and other historic beverages.

We helped ourselves to food and drink before moving onto a larger space, this one named the Wild West.

Tables brimming with Pimm’s and tacos welcomed us to a field filled with mechanical bulls, huge swings, bouncy race courses, and larger-than-life inflatable balls floating in water.

Apparently people were supposed to climb into said balls and try to act like human hamsters, but I didn’t see anyone successfully accomplish this mission.

In yet another courtyard at the Emmanuel College June Event—this one called Ursa Major—there was a stage for bands and ceilidh dances.

The most famous act playing that night was Eliza and the Bear, and in past years colleges have managed to get artists that have gone on to superstardom following a May Ball or June Event.

The evening didn’t take place entirely outdoors, though. This is England, after all, and there needed to be a place to shelter in the event of rain.

The college bar had been converted into a Smuggler’s Den, complete with tropical cocktails and a cappella performers.

The Old Library was Ursa Minor for the night, which was home to Cinnabon sweets and live bands. Even the dining hall was a Banquet Hall set for a queen, in which party-goers could put on royal regalia and pose for portraits.

The overall effect of all of these spaces was to offer a constantly-rotating range of entertainment to keep attendees stimulated until 3am.

I was impressed by the fact that every time I walked into a familiar space there was a new type of food, drink, or performer to keep me occupied.

When my energy flagged at 2am, a convenient Scottish ceilidh revived me and took me back to my days of square dancing in elementary school gym class.

When the Emmanuel College June Event ended, the crowd exited the historic walls of the university and made its way out into the street in varying degrees of sobriety.

I was happy to have had the rare chance to attend an event that wasn’t normally open to outsiders, and glad to have seen yet another Cambridge tradition.

Sure, it was just an excuse for students to booze, but it was certainly a fun one (and it beat any frat party I ever went to in college).

That said, given that it has taken most of the week to recover from staying up so late on a Sunday night, it may be a while until I try to convince my friends to bring me back for another Emmanuel College June Event or May Ball.

And maybe that’s the most important reason why traditions like these are for students.

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