Centenary Ball – biggest event ever in the history of Imperial College Union

Fun Fair

Sell-out evening as over 2,500 students celebrate the end of term - <em>News</em>

Wednesday 20 June
By Naomi Weston

Over two thousand five hundred students and staff danced the night away at the Imperial College London Centenary Ball on Saturday night.

"It was a complete sell-out", said organiser Jon Matthews, Imperial College Union Deputy President for Finance and Services. He added: "The biggest challenge of organising the Ball was the scale of the event. We started planning it a year ago and Saturday night was all about celebrating our success and looking forward to the future. It was an honour to be there at the time of the Centenary."

Centenary Ball dinnerHighlights of the night included X-Factor contestants, Ben Mills and Eton Road performing in the College’s Great Hall, the fun fair and fireworks on the Queen’s Lawn and a casino in the Beit Quadrangle. In addition there was the tribute band, The Rat Pack, and a Burlesque Show performing in the Main Dining Hall.

Survivors' photoA dinner was held in the giant marquee on the Queen’s Lawn for 500 people with Rector of the College Sir Richard Sykes and Trevor Phillips, chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. The impressive menu consisted of Centenary red and white wine, smoked salmon with prawns and avocado, lamb and polenta with marinated roast vegetables.

The Imperial College Big Band entertained the guests in the foyer of the College’s main entrance and the VIP area in the Senior Common Room, providing a great atmosphere for the Ball.

Physics fourth year student, Ashley Taheri, is the main singer for the band. He commented: "It was a great pleasure to sing at the ball and to accompany such a dedicated team. The band is a lovely example of how multi-talented Imperial students are. We have been practising a lot and are also preparing for a tour to Croatia next week."

Many of the students stayed up most of the night and had their photo taken at the traditional survivors’ photo at 4am by the Queen’s Tower.

Third year Chemical Engineering student, Christopher Killin, enjoyed the evening’s events. "This is the first time I have been to a College ball," he said. "I made it to the survivors’ photo at 4am but that’s just like a normal student night out for me!"

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