Brighton & Sussex Official Winter Ball Review- Looking Back to 2019

As we approach the festive season, it only makes sense to celebrate in style as we have missed out on joyous partying during the pandemic. Brighton & Sussex Official Winter Ball at The Hilton hotel is an event for any student in Brighton who fancies being a bit more classy, celebrating the end of the autumn term and getting some great, Christmas card worthy, photos. 

I attended this event in December 2019, when I was a fresher. It was one of the most anticipated nights out of the freshers' season and the perfect way to end the term after making great friends and working moderately hard...

I remember preparing for the Ball, wondering how to adapt to the more sophisticated venue after months of attending CU Next Tuesday and getting up to their usual mischief. People were debating whether to wear heels or trainers; do you pre-drink? I am here to give you the low down on The Winter Ball.

Back in 2019, the event was taking place around a similar time to first term assessments and deadlines, meaning I was procrastinating by sorting out outfits and organising taxis. We starting pre drinking pretty early, taking photos of us in our fancy clothes and enjoying celebrating the half way point of our time as freshers'. 

There was a weird moment on the bus on the way to the Hilton where I was drinking some left over champagne from my eighteenth, and my housemate was downing blue VK, but I guess that just highlights a student's attempt at being fancy!

The night was great, with the venue having a free glass of bubbly on arrival, a huge dance floor, great music, perfect photo backdrops and a great atmosphere. There were also hot dog stands, candy floss stalls, arcade games and multiple bars and even bumper cars! This meant that if you weren't dancing or taking photos, you were either eating or winning prizes! I think this really fit with the atmosphere of living in Brighton with this almost carnival vibe. 

After the event, there were plenty of opportunities to go out clubbing, just remember to bring a pair of flats!

The Winter Ball was the perfect was to get ready for Christmas at University. This is especially nice because most students are going back to their family homes over the festive season, making it a really lovely event to celebrate with your friends before saying goodbye for the New Year.