Alice in (Winter) Wonderland

Christmas Ball 2025 in review

Having been a Saint Events correspondent for a scarily long time now, I recognise how lucky we are. Getting free entry to practically anything, in return for a review which can be as kind or scathing as we please, puts us in a very privileged position.

However, as much as it’s a flex to waltz straight into some of the University calendar’s biggest festivals, balls and the like, many aren’t actually that fun. You find yourself feeling bad for people who’ve gone and paid full price for something that, in reality, isn’t worth it. This certainly isn’t the case for Christmas Ball – I was thrilled to get the press pass, as I firmly believe it could be the best ball of the whole year.

Christmas Ball raises money to finance Edinburgh Fringe shows and Mermaids productions during the academic year. It’s one of the most challenging events to get a ticket to, often selling out in seconds. The committee transform Kinkell Byre into what feels like a Christmas castle, often focused on a theme, this year, ‘the fantastical world of Alice in Wonderland’. According to a very ornate floor plan posted by Mermaids, Kinkell Byre was to be transformed into a magical paradise, including a maze and rabbit hole; tall orders, but which certainly piqued my curiosity. On top of this, actors would be playing each character from Alice in Wonderland, wandering about delivering appropriate one-liners. These additions certainly suggested a ball with a magical cherry on top.

Upon pickup of my press pass, I learnt I was now ‘Alex Barnard – The Stand’. A chill ran up my spine at the thought of being associated with our greatest rival newspaper, but I was ready to deliver the best article they’d ever seen – even if it was coming out sorely late (blame my English exams). In a similarly chaotic fashion, I randomly woke up the day of the ball with my eye half shut like I’d been in an Aikman’s fight, which meant I couldn’t wear make-up until it went back to normal. Cue second identity crisis of the day (following my Stand misidentification) when I realised for the first time since puberty I couldn’t glam up. Anyway, ready to have a self-confidence awakening while cosplaying as a Stand reporter, I squinted my way over to the Union to queue for the bus.

While scores of ticket-holders waited, we were entertained with musical offerings of a mostly a cappella persuasion, from the Hummingbirds to the Alleycats. Though it took me right back to my zm-zming Pitch Perfect roots, volume was an issue, and microphones would have been worthwhile to take the performances from background music to a deserved spectacle. With Main Bar open, we downed some (liquid) Christmas cheer and made our way to the buses.

Upon arrival, the main dance hall was the classic Kinkell offering, with glittering fairy lights galore. Masterful sets from, for example, Since Juniper, set a lively mood with fairytale scenes projected behind. Nearby was Jannetta’s for the first 700 attendees – well, the first 700 to notice that there was free ice-cream, and the employees weren’t stingy about it, piling great orbs of chocolate gelato onto cones and into cups. 

Despite the ornate decoration and elegantly dressed attendees, once the rather expensive ticket was bought, drinks were in an accessible price bracket, thanks to Union pricing. With themed cocktails and the usual beer, cider and vodka, there was no need for sneaky hip flasks.

In one side room, huge playing cards hung like portraits in the red-hued hall; a giant Christmas tree and glittering archway suggested a larger-than-life, wonderland world. In another, the tunnel connecting rooms, named the Maze, some effort was made to create this effect, with leafy garlands bedecking the ceiling. Was some of the room styling perhaps overly ambitious? Arguably, but it contributed to the sense of a thought-out aesthetic.

The secondary marquee, named The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, can only be described as a liminal space, albeit a very pleasant one. In one corner, attendees reclined on sofas to watch Alice in Wonderland on the big screen; in another, a magician stunned small groups on a round table. Lo-fi musicians provided the soundtrack for this mellow scene, with some musical theatre big names like Dylan Swain and Callum Wardman-Brown on the roster. Elsewhere, I know there was a photobooth and caricaturist, but I was at an absolute loss trying to find them — as with the character actors, and believe me, that would have made my Christmas dreams come true.

Was the theme of this ball totally random? Absolutely. But with Mermaids’ passion for theatrics, they were perfectly equipped to transform Kinkell Byre into a wonderland world. Theme or no theme, as someone who’s had the fortune of going to virtually every major event in this town over the past four years, I can’t stop coming back to Christmas Ball. It typifies the best of St Andrews, bringing seemingly everyone you know together in a beautiful, fairytale setting. With exams looming, Mermaids beckoned us down the rabbit hole for a night of festivities which happily weren’t just a dream.

Photo: Jack Maguire