Social Events
While Balliol has a well-earned reputation for academic excellence, we’re equally proud of having one of (if not) Oxford’s most sociable graduate communities.
Together with the Bar Team, the MCR Social Secretaries keep the calendar busy with social events throughout the year – making sure there’s always an excuse to take a break from the books and join the party.
Freshers Week
To welcome Freshers to the MCR, the MCR Committee organises a packed week of social activities. The week kicks off with welcome drinks at our cherished Megaron Bar and continues with board game, pub quiz and film screening evenings, alongside Gail’s brunches and college family events. The highlights, of course, are the Freshers’ Pub Crawl and the first MCR BOP of the year, with old-timers and newcomers alike coming together to set the tone for what promises to be a lively academic year.
BOPs
The Social Secretaries organise three BOPs (Big Open Parties) each year – one per term. These themed costume parties are a staple of Oxford social life, hosted by different colleges and open to everyone across the University.
Balliol MCR BOPs have earned a reputation of their own, thanks in no small part to the Manor’s ideal party set-up across three levels and multiple dance floors. Our resident Balliol DJs – a somehow self-replenishing supply in its own right – keep the music going, as the drinks flow, beer pong gets ever more competitive, and the photo booth provides plenty of evidence of the night’s best (and occasionally worst) moments.
Balliol Fridays
Each Friday night during term, head to our beloved MCR Bar – the Megaron – for one of the best-attended fixtures of the social calendar: Balliol Fridays. Expect a packed bar, plenty of familiar faces, music, cocktails and good vibes. Bring your friends, grab a drink and start the weekend the Balliol way.
Black Tie MCR Special Formals
Balliol is lucky to have one of the most beautiful and picture-worthy dining halls in Oxford. To make the most of it, the MCR hosts one or two black-tie formal dinners in Hall each term, followed by an afterparty or college-only ‘mini-BOP’ back at Holywell Manor. In Michaelmas, our Christmas Reps organise a themed Christmas Dinner, complete with festive food, balloons, crackers and the annual MCR pantomime.
Burns Night in Hilary is arguably the most anticipated event of the year – a celebration of Balliol’s Scottish roots and an ode to the life and work of Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns. MCR members and their guests can enjoy haggis, whisky, bagpipes, poetry readings and ceilidh dancing, before heading back to the Manor to continue the party. Later in Hilary, we celebrate the founding of the MCR during our aptly named Foundation Dinner, to be followed last but not least, with our May Dinner in Trinity – our final proper opportunity to come together as a community, before the end of the academic year. Every MCR formal dinner and BOP is followed by a welfare brunch the next morning – because a good night out deserves an equally good recovery.
Termtime Social Fixtures:
Formal Exchanges, Wine & Cheese,
John’s and Balliol Ball
The Social Secretaries organise a number of regular termtime fixtures jointly with other college MCRs, from formal exchanges and wine and cheese evenings to bar crawls and joint socials. Balliol also has a long-standing exchange with our sister college in Cambridge, St John’s College, giving members of both MCRs the chance to visit one another. Each year, a number of Balliol MCR members also have the opportunity to attend the coveted St John’s May Ball in Cambridge – famously ranked by Time Magazine as the 7th best party in the world. Closer to home, there is our very own Balliol Ball, held biennially on the College’s main site and run by the JCR.
MCR Garden Party
The MCR Garden Party is the last big event of the academic year, bringing everyone together to celebrate the end of exams and say goodbye to those leaving Balliol. The night begins with a three-course dinner in a marquee in the Holywell Manor garden, followed by live bands, DJs and a silent disco that keeps the party going until 3am. Essentially a mini-ball for the Balliol MCR and all our friends, the Garden Party is the pinnacle of our social calendar – and, for many, one of their best nights in Oxford.
And more…
And that’s not all – throughout the year, there are plenty of extras, from punting, picnics and barbecues to poetry nights, film screenings, sports viewings, and research sharing nights.
If there’s something you’d like to see added to the calendar, get in touch with the Social Secs – new ideas are always welcome!