Black Tie Returns

Opening Ball 2025 in review

Before coming to St Andrews, most prospective students hear about the notorious ball culture: evening wear, floor-length gowns, and a certain idea of glamour. Opening Ball is its purest form. Freshers and their newly formed friend groups snap up most of the tickets. Held on Saturday, 11 October and organised by the Kate Kennedy Club, it’s known as the first black tie event of the year — the tickets every keen first-year wants to get their hands on. Three years after my first Opening Ball in 2022, I returned. The scale felt even larger, and the operation was sharp from first bus to last song.

Tickets were split into two categories: a dinner ticket at £98, which included a bottle of wine, a three-course meal, and afterparty access, and an afterparty-only ticket, which reached a final-release price of £57. Prices were broadly in line with previous years, but a special touch that didn’t exist during my first Opening Ball was that everyone had access to the dodgems (also known as bumper cars). These were a hit. One guest called them “a great opportunity for couples who had maybe just met.” Whether with friends, dates, or anyone else, they added a playful, unfussy counterpoint to black tie.

St Andrews’ balls carry the stigma of being glorified club nights with standard DJs — a Union night with tuxes and gowns. I don’t fully disagree. But Opening Ball wasn’t a £6 Bop in silk and satin. The logistics felt thoughtful. Falside Mill couldn’t have been a better venue, welcoming and grand, beloved yet cosy in a distinctly St Andrews way. The entrance flowed into the cloakroom and live music space, with a large outdoor smoking area to one side and beyond it, the main ballroom and dance floor. The DJs kept up a house-leaning set with well-timed throwbacks, offering something for everyone. As a house fan, my itch was scratched.

The live room took the night. “Since Juniper,” a student band whose tagline claims they’re “the best thing to come to Scotland since juniper ” delivered a set that blew me away and left the crowd stunned to learn they’re St Andrews students. They played a set full of sing-along classics and brought infectious energy that contrasted perfectly with the DJs in the main room. London-based dance artist SILK took over as headliner, and even as buses began whisking guests home, the dance floor stayed packed. I’ve heard criticisms that people at St Andrews balls don’t really dance, but that wasn’t what I saw at Opening Ball. There was real enthusiasm, movement, and joy throughout.

It did suffer from a St Andrews constant: pricey drinks and a determined crowd lining up to get them. The queues never really eased, but the venue flowed well enough that you could drift between dance floors and the smoking terrace without much fuss. Waits for the toilets and buses were also lengthy. There didn’t seem to be enough toilets for the sheer volume of people, and as the night went on, their condition turned pretty grim. For an event at this price, I’d expect better provision and upkeep. Still, expensive drinks and long lines didn’t dent the mood. The crowd kept its energy, and the fun didn’t flag. 

Among tired feet, steamed glass, and half-undone bow ties on the bus ride home, I overheard a conversation that neatly summed up Opening Ball’s split reputation. To some, it’s an overpriced spin on a club night; to others, the black-tie event of the year; and to a few, overheard on the bus, it was underpriced. One claim was that the ball would have been better if the tickets were £200. For an event where the afterparty alone costs £57, wishing it were pricier is outrageous to me. 

Maybe I don’t know what a £200 ball looks like, but a great venue, strong music, packed and punctual buses, dodgems, and a Highland piper felt like the real deal.

Most people see the big season-starter as a rite of passage into the St Andrews ball scene. I often hear peers refer to the Kate Kennedy Ball of their first year as “our Opening Ball.” In essence, it’s a welcome to the first-year class — it was their ball this year. A surprise highlight for me might have been the ladies’ toilet queue. There’s an energy only freshers have for enthusiastic small talk,  the “guess where I’m from” kind of chat.

The night was nostalgic. As my fourth year speeds by, I am reminded of the joy of beginnings. For many, this year’s Opening Ball will mark the start of their time at St Andrews, just as the 2022 ball did for me. I do think the 2025 version was better than the 2022 one, whatever that means.

Photo by Maya Dasilva