Last Saturday, I strapped on my heels, donned a short dress and shrugged on a coat. The destination? The Old Course Hotel. The event? Pi Ball.
Pi Ball is the annual ball organised by the St Andrews Maths Society (SUMS for short, of course). While I am by no means a maths student—I dropped maths when I was 16 and never looked back—I decided to go anyway, as Pi Ball last year was hands down my favourite ball of the year. In fact, many of the attendees did not study maths, and out of the seven people I went with, only one is a maths student. I opted to buy a ticket for the full event (a three-course dinner and a ceilidh), as I figured that I may as well experience a nice sit-down meal at one of the nicest hotels in the bubble.
Upon arrival, dinner guests were guided to a (free!) cloakroom to stow away bags and coats. Following this, we received a glass of Prosecco (which we all downed eagerly), while a lovely jazz band played. We waited for an hour or so as guests arrived before the appetiser was served. While the food portions were fairly small, they were delightful, presented beautifully and in the end turned out to be quite filling. I scoffed down a gravadlax of smoked salmon (7/10), a shin of beef roulade (8/10) and a crème brûlee (9/10). I still think about the seaweed meringue that came as part of the smoked salmon, that crème brûlee and the mashed potatoes from my main course. Absolutely divine. However, the absence of alcohol at dinner meant that I ended up having to buy a drink from the Old Course bar, which was unfortunate for my bank account. The staff at the Old Course were also incredibly lovely, professional and kind throughout the evening.
After dinner (and a few drinks on my friends’ parts) had been consumed, most tables were put away to make room for the ceilidh, and many of us exchanged heels for more sensible sneakers. While this was not my first rodeo with ceilidhs, it was still incredibly fun (and dizzying). There were a good number and range of ceilidh dances, which kept this portion of the night entertaining (unless you had the misfortune of being stamped on by a stiletto-wearer). Inevitably, there were a few attendees who basically flung themselves at you and yanked your arms quite vigorously. I was told that this violence during the ceilidh is a typically Scottish-style, but it still left my arms aching a day later. Since the ceilidh is a highly vigorous and lively activity, many attendees were left sweaty and in need of air. However, this did not happen, owing to Union security not allowing guests to go outside unless it was to smoke, something I felt to be highly unfair and unreasonable. I was feeling slightly lightheaded throughout the ceilidh portion of the night, and would have really appreciated the fresh air. Nonetheless, this did not spoil the fun, as there was a photobooth and props provided throughout the night, something that many people took advantage of in between dinner courses and different ceilidh rounds.
Two hours later, the ceilidh instruments were packed away in favour of a DJ and an after party. Owing to my lightheadedness and my general exhaustion from the week, I did not stay very long. For the brief time that I remained, however, the music sets were very enjoyable, with DJs being fully aware of their target audience.
Overall, while I did not enjoy myself as much as last year due to my sky-high expectations for this year’s event, I still had a good time at Pi Ball. I appreciated the bar, the places to relax and the variety of activities on offer. It was a slight shame that Pi Ball was not closer to Pi Day, but who would go to a ball on Thursday of Week Eight? Sure, my night may have ended earlier than anticipated, but who doesn’t love having a fancy dinner at one of the nicest venues in the bubble while being flung around like a rag doll during the ceilidh? While a slight letdown from last year personally, it was still a fun and classy event that all can enjoy, especially if you are a maths student.