On Wednesday, the students in Clare spent the evening learning how to salsa dance; on Thursday, they went to an outdoor production of Shakespeare. Yesterday evening, they were called to combine dance with drama, in a sensational mid-session party.

Dressed in their most fashionable party clothes, and prepared to have a night to remember, everybody in Clare College made the journey into the centre of Cambridge, where the stylish Hilton Hotel was waiting to receive them. The theme was Carnivale, and flamboyant were the decorations: the grand ballroom and dining chambers of the Hilton were bedecked with streamers and hangings, while sprays of feathers and sudden ferns had sprung up in the corners.

The night was glorious. There was an enormous amount of food and snacks –including candyfloss, always the subject of excitement— and lots of games for students to play. Some enjoyed testing out their strength in a classic fairground-esque game of the hammer shot; others tried their balance on a simulator.

The greatest attraction, however, was –of course!— the dance floor. Throughout the night, refreshed by some brilliantly hued and flavoursome mocktails, students jived and spun their way across the floor, to a range of foot-tapping music. Though they only met each other less than a week ago, many of the students are now very close: it was a wonderful night spent dancing with friends. When the time came to leave, students were sorry to say goodbye to the ballroom of which they now have so many fond memories: but there is the reassurance that there is still another week to come, and that even at the end of that, there will be another magical party waiting for them.