King and Queens Ball

Wrapped up in life here at William and Mary, sometimes the year’s end springs up quickly.  But we always get a reminder that the year is ending with the King and Queen’s Ball, our spring campus-wide formal.  Held every year the weekend before the last week of classes, King and Queen’s is probably my favorite event of the year.  (It may or may not have influenced my decision to go abroad in the fall rather than the spring…)

There aren’t many events truly attended by the vast majority of the campus population, but King and Queen’s Ball is definitely one.  A huge white tent pops up on the Sunken Gardens, and inside you’ll find a massive dance floor, light munchies, a cash bar, and a really sweet band.  Everyone on campus comes out dressed in their finest, ready to dance the night away.  Midway through the evening, President Reveley comes out to officially open the dance, and then one of our female a cappella groups, Reveille, leads all in attendance in an enthusiastic rendition of the Alma Mater.

We’re big on traditions here at William and Mary, and King and Queen’s is a favorite of everyone’s.  However, there is another not-as-wonderful tradition associated with the dance: almost every year, it rains.  The rain typically does nothing to decrease attendance (it takes a lot to come between a student and King and Queens), though it does make crossing the Sunken Gardens in heels a bit more treacherous.  However, today we’ve got clear skies and a high of 80 degrees, and I’m ready to dance til dawn.

-Kate Drummey, 2010