Jimmy B and the Blowers opening Tent 1 – Photo by Rylie Trott

The UKC Summer Ball reared its head again last Saturday, boasting the likes of Example, Fuse ODG and Saint Raymond in the main tent, amongst free dodgems, very fruity ciders and some pretty fireworks. Here are some of the best (and worst) moments of Party In The Car Park 2015.

1 – Free Champagne!

Served by a lovely lady dressed fully in white (whose torso was part of the table itself) on arrival, Kent students were treated to complimentary champagne as they walked the red carpet into a very swanky entrance tent. It was almost as if we weren’t in a car park at all!

2 – The Cage Returns

An instant favourite amongst the students, The Cage was not for the faint-hearted, or the very drunk for that matter. Designed to spin you upside down, it was a good way for people to get a taste of the atmosphere of the place before heading into one of the packed tents.

3 – Raleigh Ritchie (Grey Worm)

The biggest surprise of the night for me was the amount of charisma and stage presence this man had onstage. An immense amount of energy and regular chants of “fuck exams!” were definitely enough to rile the Tent 1 crowd up. I’ve been a fan of this guy for ages (for his work in music and, of course, in Game of Thrones), so it was a pleasure to see him having so much fun up there.

Raleigh Ritchie’s captivating performance – Photo by Rylie Trott

4 – You

Yes, you know what you did. We all saw you. You can’t hide from it. Just embrace it, because you’re never going to live it down, now. It’s okay though, we forgive you. Just don’t do it again.

5 – Brothers Cider

In the ‘hipster corner’, we had Brothers Cider supplying us with some very exotic flavours, from Wild Fruit to Toffee Apple. They even provided sofas for any of the students who fancied a bit of a rest from the chaos around them, which was welcomed by many.

6 – Saint Raymond

Younger than half of the students attending, Saint Raymond has made some very good progress in very little time. His set included a beautiful backdrop and an abundance of sing-along choruses, so it didn’t matter that the majority of the crowd had no idea who he was. I can see him touring with The 1975 in their Autumn tour.

7 – DODGEMS

‘Nuff said.

8 – The people who thought they could steal chairs

The congested crowd leaving PITCP at 2am seemed all too enticing for some freshers, who thought it’d be a good idea to smuggle some of the chairs out of the venue unnoticed by the eagle-eyed security staff, to bring back to their own kitchens. Obviously, they failed, and seeing them being escorted back to the car park empty-handed was enough to make my night.

Fuse ODG on the main stage – Photo by Rylie Trott

9 – Fireworks

Many ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s were heard during the spectacular fireworks display behind Tent 1, where everyone seemed to suddenly stop in their tracks to gaze at the pretty sight.

10 – Example

Example is Example, at the end of the day. He did spend the whole set walking around, talking into a microphone, but that’s why we love him, isn’t it? He even had some banter with the security guards mid-performance, and he did his job at the end of the day.

Party In The Car Park returns next year.