May Week
What is ‘May Week’?
Well, firstly, there’s something that needs clarification: May Week is actually in June.
May Week is a two-week long (ish) period of celebration marking the end of the Easter Term and academic year. It used to happen in May, before exams, but switched to June in the 1880s.
What can you expect?
Aside from long days spent basking in the hot sunshine at Mill Pond or Jesus Green, May Week is packed full of events. It’s the high-point of the academic year and is not to be missed.
When exactly does it take place?
At the end of the third week of June, May Week festivities kick off with the infamous May Bumps. This is a four days of inter-college rowing races on the Cam, which attracts crowds of spectators to ‘the Reach’ at Ditton Meadows, just beyond Midsummer and Stourbridge Commons in the North East of the City.
On the first Sunday after the end of Easter Term, another kind of boat race takes place: the annual Cardboard Boat Race. This runs from Jesus Green Lock to Magdalene’s ‘Beach’: each crew must construct a boat to carry three persons, entirely from cardboard. There are two winner categories, for a) fastest boat and b) most ‘interesting’ design.
During May Week, a whole host of outdoor events take place across the University. The largest of these, though, are May Balls, June Events, and Garden Parties.
May Balls are large-scale parties held within college grounds; known to host many hundreds of party-goers (you can buy a ticket to any college’s May Ball, even if you aren’t a member there), there’s food, drink, entertainment, and well-known bands and DJs. They run all night and into the morning: will you be there for the sunrise ‘Survivor’s Photo’?
Robinson’s first full-size May Ball took place in 1984, five years after the college was founded. Our Ball usually takes place on the first Monday of May Week proper. In 2023, it took place on the 16th of June. Exclusive ticket sales for Robinson members are available in advance of general release.
Decorations can get pretty extravagant: in 2010, Sidney Sussex flooded their courts with 88,000 gallons of water to recreate the canals of Venice, with guests chauffeured through the grounds on punts.
You don’t have to buy a ticket to get a slice of the May Ball magic:
Clare, Trinity and St John's put on spectacular firework displays during their May Balls - for which the Cam is often packed with punts full of spectators (The best part? You don’t have to pay for a ball ticket to watch these).
June Events are like May Balls but tend to be more low-key. Sometimes, colleges alternate between larger May Balls and smaller June Events year-on-year. A particularly well-known June Event is ‘King’s Affair’ at King’s: pitched as “the antidote to the monotony of traditional balls”, tuxedos and floor-length gowns are exchanged for fancy dress costumes and a whole range of alternative music and entertainment.
Garden Parties are another important piece of the puzzle: a more intimate yet no less important event in the calendar, Garden Parties invite you to lounge in the sun on college lawns with food, drink, and entertainment.