 Saturday's Middlemarch costume ball saw O'Connell House transformed into a dazzling Las Vegas cityscape.
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White rabbits, magicians, show girls, and brides trooped to Upper Campus on Saturday night for the annual Middlemarch Ball, a traditional costume ball that has captivated Boston College students for 35 years. O'Connell House was transformed into Sin City this weekend for the Las Vegas-themed event, and students impressed with costumes ranging from Siegfried and Roy's white lion to Britney Spears and Jason Alexander.
The theme came courtesy of the ball's coordinators, O'Connell House's five managers, and the 20-member committee that aided them in adorning the house in decorations fitting for the city of lights.
"When we pick a theme, the main criteria are how easy it will be for people to get dressed up for and get involved in. One of the huge allures of Middlemarch is that people can go all out with their costumes," said Michael Bell, an O'Connell house manager and A&S '10.
Jessica Kenerson, an O'Connell House manager and LGSOE '08, added that this year, a committee member came up with the theme.
Past themes have included "The Wonderful World of Disney," "Arabian Nights," and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
Nearly 300 students were in attendance at the event, leaving the cold March night in exchange for a magically transformed O'Connell house. Ball-goers entered on a red carpet modeled after the Las Vegas strip. The main ballroom took on the character of Pure, the night club at The Palms, and the piano room became a wedding chapel where attendees could fill out wedding certificates or dine on white cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries. Another room was transformed into the Cirque de Soleil, where an attendant handed out cotton candy and popcorn as gymnasts performed on a nearby television screen. A fourth room became a casino, complete with a slot machine lottery in which students could enter Monopoly money lottery tickets to win iPods, a GPS navigation system, an Eiffel tower light, or a $100 Visa gift card. The basement, inspired by Vegas's myriad hotels, featured catering by Cafe Cardoos and a fortune teller.
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