Last Friday I visited the Hall of Mirrors party which I wrote about in my previous “St Andrews events to go to in January/February” article for Her Campus. I thoroughly enjoyed myself so here’s my review of the evening.
The event organised by Masquerade St Andrews took place in the One Under Bar of the beautiful Rusacks Hotel. IDs were checked at the entrance, a tiny heart was drawn on the back of my palm to signify I was a guest and I stepped into the dim-lit bar. Obviously, there wasn’t a cloakroom, so the guests lay their outerwear on the couches at the back of the bar.
The DJ was playing classic party tunes, the ones I’ve remembered most were ‘Low’ by Flo Rida and T-Pain (which I can swear I have heard at every single night-out in St Andrews), ‘American Boy’ by Estelle (this one was played a few times at least) and even a tune which I recognised as the viral TikTok ‘ski baby’ sound, which, is actually called ‘Bel Mercy’ by the Dutch music producer Jengi. The music was loud and the closer one stood to the DJ the more one had to shout to have a conversation. Thankfully, however, there was plenty of space at the tables in the back of the bar to sit down, rest from all the dancing and talk without having to raise your voice over the music.
Also, I absolutely have to mention the evening’s signature cocktail made from pear vodka, apple and lemon juice and sugar syrup. It was truly delicious, and although it seemed like a few guests might have had a little too many, (haven’t most of us at one point?) everyone just seemed genuinely happy. The two sober members of the committee were present to help anyone in need.
There was no official dress code, which surprised me at first, but it definitely gave attendees the absolute freedom to wear what they were most comfortable in. Some came in dresses and tuxedos, some in casual clothes, and I even saw a few people in masquerade masks. Because the party was not the official Masquerade ball, not having a typical St Andrews black-tie ball dress code made complete sense. Since this year’s theme is all about vintage funfairs and all that is associated with them I’m hoping to see a reflection of this in the main event’s dress code.
Overall, for me, the most important sign of a great and successful evening was that people were genuinely enjoying themselves. Everyone socialised, danced and seemed very happy. I’m told that the Masquerade ball should take place this March (although the date is not definite yet) and I will definitely be looking forward to attending.