A Commemoration ball is a formal ball held by one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in the 9th week of Trinity Term, the week after the end of the last Full Term of the academic year, which is known as "Commemoration Week". Commemoration balls are held by different colleges each year, following a cycle by which each college holds a ball every three years.Balsdon, J.P.V.D.: Oxford Life, page 240. Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1957
Commemoration Week is so known because of the ceremonies in commemoration of the benefactors of the university that are held then, namely the Commemoration Day sermon formerly held (until 2006) on the Sunday, and the Encaenia ceremony (where the annual Creweian Oration in honour of benefactors is given) and garden party on the Wednesday of that week. Commemoration Week was formerly one of two occasions when balls were traditionally held, the other being Eights Week, the 5th week of Trinity term when the Summer Eights rowing races occur. Eights balls are nowadays comparatively rare.
Definition
There is no formal definition of a Commemoration ball, but the usual Oxford convention is to refer only to the larger, triennial balls as Commemoration balls. The dress code is usually white tie. Many other colleges hold smaller events during Commemoration Week that they call summer balls or parties rather than Commemoration balls. These are usually held on an annual or irregular basis, and are usually black tie. Merton College holds a triennial winter ball.
History
In the past, Commemoration balls were held "night after night"Balsdon, J.P.V.D (supra) by different colleges during Commemoration Week. With many colleges now holding smaller annual summer balls, Commemoration balls are now held by only some of the larger colleges, who still follow the traditional triennial cycle. Oriel College hosts a ball in the first year of the three-year cycle, and until recently Magdalen College also did. However Magdalen College cancelled their ball in 2015 at the last minute downgrading to a smaller affair. Currently, in the second year, there are Commemoration balls held by New College and The Queen's College. In the third year, there are now four colleges with this honour (Worcester College, Christ Church, Trinity College, St. John's College).
The 2005 Christ Church Commemoration ball was the first to be held by that college for fifteen years because of an incident at the 1990 ball that led to the Governing Body suspending the ball and replacing it with an annual summer party until 2005. Until 1990 the three great Oxford choral foundations of Magdalen College (first year), New College (second year) and Christ Church (third year) held their "white tie" Commemoration Balls in consecutive years on a triennial basis, each being widely regarded as the most prestigious ball being held in Oxford in that year, but the 1990 incident at Christ Church upset the tradition as various other colleges claimed Christ Church's (third year) slot, and continue to do so after the Christ Church Ball was reinstated in 2005. The cancellation of Magdalen College's (first year) Commemoration Ball in 2015, and its reinstatement in the "New College" (second) year of 2016, completed the break with tradition.
List of balls
Year College Performers Notes 1964 Magdalen College The Rolling Stones 1973 Jesus College Steeleye Span 1999 New College St Etienne 1999 Trinity College Coldplay, Jools Holland 2003 Magdalen College 2004 New College Dizzee Rascal 2005 Christ Church 2005 St John's College Goldie Lookin Chain 450th anniversary of the college's foundation 2005 Trinity College Supergrass 2005 Worcester College 2006 Magdalen College Pharrell, Bodyrockers 2007 New College Ash 2008 Christ Church The Wombats 2008 St John's College 2008 Trinity College Sugababes, Stornoway 2008 Worcester College One Night Only, Logistics 2009 Magdalen College Feeder, The Pipettes 2009 Oriel College Ladyhawke, Scratch Perverts 2010 Merton College Electric Six 2010 New College Scouting for Girls 2010 Wadham College 2011 Christ Church Tinchy Stryder 2011 St John's College The Feeling 2011 Trinity College The Streets, Sophie Ellis-BextorTrinity Commemoration Ball 2011 :: The Night 2011 Worcester College Mystery JetsWorcester College Commemoration Ball 2011 :: The Grand Tour 2012 Magdalen College Athlete, Labrinth, Loick Essien, Natty, Roll DeepAthlete at Magdalen College Ball 2012 on YouTube 2012 Oriel College The FeelingOriel College Ball 2012 2013 Balliol College Mark Ronson 750th Anniversary of the College's foundation 2013 New College The Fratellis 2014 Christ ChurchChrist Church Commemoration Ball 2014 http://christchurchball.co.uk Laura Mvula, A Skillz, The Oxford Imps 2014 Exeter College 700th Anniversary Commemorative Ball 2014 Hertford College Bridge of Sighs Commemoration Ball 2014 Merton College Summer Ball 2014 St John's CollegeSt John's College Ball http://ball.sjc.ox.ac.uk/ The Hoosiers, Pendulum, Jigsaw & Dynamite MC, Eliza and the Bear 2014 Trinity CollegeTrinity College Ball Clean Bandit, AlunaGeorge, The Correspondents, DJ Heidi, Friend WithinTrinity Commemoration Ball 27 June 2014 Programme 2014 Worcester College Maxïmo Park, Stornoway with Oxford University Sinfonietta, The Correspondents, DJ EZ, Jaymo & Andy Georgehttp://thetercentenaryball.co.uk/images/PDF/Programme.pdf Tercentenary 2015 Magdalen College Cancelled 2015 Oriel College 2016 Magdalen CollegeMagdalen College Ball http://www.magdalenball.com Chase and Status, VITAMIN, The Electric Swing Circus 2016 New CollegeNew College Ball Circa Waves, Gentleman's Dub Club, Afriquoi 2016 The Queen's CollegeThe Queen's College Ball https://ousu.org/organisation/9590/ 2017 Christ Church Scouting for Girls, Redlight 2017 Corpus Christi College 2017 St John's College Example 2017 Trinity Collegehttp://www.trinity-ball.com Izzy Bizu, Tiggs da Author, Clokkemaker 2017 Worcester College 2018 Oriel College Sigma 2019 Magdalen College Cancelled again 2019 New College 2019 The Queen's College Everything Everything 2022 Christ Church 2022 New College Example, The Academic 2022 The Queen's College Boney M. 2022 Trinity College 2023 Balliol College Third Commemoration held at the College since 1969 2023 Corpus Christi College 2023 Magdalen College The Hunna 2023 Oriel College Scouting for Girls, Toploader 2023 St John's College Mura Masa (record producer) 2023 Worcester College Jungle 2024 Pembroke College Scouting for Girls 400th Anniversary of the College's foundation 2025 Balliol College 2025 Christ Church The Japanese House 2025 Hertford College 2025 Lady Margaret Hall College 2025 New College Hard Life 2025 St Hilda's College 2025 The Queen's College 2025 Wadham College Pixie Lott, Arthi Nachiappan 2026 Magdalen College Rizzle Kicks 2026 Oriel College Groove Armada 2026 St John's College Boney M 2026 Trinity College The Fratellis 2026 Worcester College Circa Waves
See also Colleges of the University of Oxford May Ball - similar events at the University of Cambridge
References
External links
2018 Balls Oriel College Commemoration Ball 22 June 2018
2016 Balls New College Commemoration Ball 25 June 2016 Magdalen College Commemoration Ball 25 June 2016
2015 Balls Balliol College Ball - Monte Carlo 9 May 2015 Oriel College Commemoration Ball - 26 June 2015 St Hilda's College Ball - Carnevale di Venezia - 9 May 2015
2014 Balls Worcester College Tercentenary Ball - 27 June 2014 St John's Ball - 27 June 2014 Hertford Bridge of Sighs Ball - 4 October 2014
2013 Balls Wadham College Ball - 21 June 2013 Balliol College Ball - 21 June 2013 Queen's College Ball - 21 June 2013 New College Ball - 22 June 2013 Merton College Winter Ball - 30 November 2013
2012 Balls Oriel College Ball - 22 June 2012 Magdalen College Ball - 22 June 2012
2011 Balls Christ Church Ball - 25 June 2011 Trinity College Ball - 1 July 2011 Worcester College Ball - 1 July 2011 St John's Ball - 1 July 2011