Heard people talking about Carnage recently? Wondered what it involves? Why it’s such a big deal?
Look no further. Carnage is a nationwide phenomenon which lands on the doorstep of Britain’s biggest cities every month in the form of a fancy dress extravaganza; in October we had Nympho Nurses and Doctors, and November has struck with Cavemen vs. Cavewomen. Whilst the October theme was perhaps a tad limited in the fancy dress stakes, this month’s Cavewoman is a sure fire winner!
The ingredients: one T-shirt ticket torn to perfection, four bars, one club, and thousands of students! Carnage is one student event not to be missed!
The T-shirt tickets (which have sold like lightening for £11 each) allow you entry to the five destinations: Walkabout, Yates, Revolution, Varsity, and Oceana, and with the usual Oceana entry price a steep £6 it is a bargain! Granted, the compulsory ticket collection from Varsity between 2pm and 5pm on the day is far from convenient; but if you arrive just before 2 it takes less than a second to collect them. Nor are the sizes available ideal; I’m petite and the medium was way too big, but with a needle and thread it’s easily fixed – half the fun is getting together as a flat, bonding over the making of your fancy friendly, blank canvas white t-shirt! Despite the extraordinarily steep drink prices to compensate for the lack of entrance fee, the solution is to pre drink, arrive late, and take that little juice bottle that you saved from earlier in the day and have converted into a not-so-healthy bottle of vodka – everyone can afford the small price of a cranberry or orange juice at the bar!
The look…
Hair: crazy backcombing, lots of hairspray (go for TRESemmé, so at least your hair will still smell good even if it does look grimy – don’t worry, if you achieve the “pulled-through-the-hedge-backwards” level you’re ready to roll!), a little dirt, a fur hair accessory and a few twigs if you’re brave!
The face: think dirt streaks (applied to arms and legs as well), big eyes and pink lips.
The dress code: animal print dresses for the girls with jagged hems and sleeves, torn to perfection with your T-shirt to match, the men; be brave and wear the animal print in whatever style you can get away with! Put a bit of dirt on the arms and you are ready to roll! Accessorizing is key! Whilst everyone may look pretty much the same, which is after all part of the magic, you can cut, tear and sew your shirt however you like so be creative!
The places: The madness begins at Walkabout at 8pm. Thousands of students all united in the same place, all looking like each other with slight variations. Carnage is a great way to meet new people; it attracts all sorts so expect to find yourself walking with complete randomers in between the bars! It is like pre-drinking on a massive scale, chatting to a load of random students! Next stop Yates; a slightly larger bar…the night is beginning to get hyped up, the dancing commences, all your random sets of friends are now becoming acquainted. You will then move en masse to Revolution for another shot before reaching Varsity; at this point the drunkenness is reaching a peak, think old school dance routines with everyone joining in and be prepared to leave with a ridiculous amount of writing on you! Finally, you’ll reach Oceana, the biggest club in Leeds with a stupid amount of rooms! Whilst you may have lost people along the way, everyone eventually descends on Oceana and it is chaotic. The drinks may be expensive, your shirt might have been ripped to shreds and you may have got lost within the maze that is the eight themed rooms of Oceana, but when you wake in the morning with a “Hannah is the best housemate” transfer printed onto your sheets you will also have the funniest memories and a hangover worthy of a medal!
Granted, waking up on the Monday with a hangover can feel like the pits but it is more than worth it! I may remember very little from October’s carnage and will probably remember even less this time around but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have the best time – the photos, if nothing else, speak for themselves.
Carnage is a way of bringing everyone together no matter how different; it takes the concept of a student night to the extreme! It encourages you to get to know new people, bond with the friends you already have and is one hell of an experience! It may be hectic, chaotic and eventful but it is a night not to be missed! Stretch your minute student budget just this once and attend Carnage, coming to Leeds this Sunday!