Background
Formals are often part of Durham life and are offered in many colleges. For some colleges these are gowned events meaning quite simply you have to wear a gown. Common to all colleges is the requirement to be smart which often means wearing a suit or ‘black tie’. These events are like a tame night out being mainly centred around dining followed by a trip to the bar or being followed by a music event, but they can be noisy.
At a formal you generally either find your allocated seat (this can take a few sweeps of the dining hall). Then you sit down. A bell may be rung or something happens (like a glass is tapped) and people then tend to stand up. A grace is often read out. Then everyone sits down. Then the food is served. At the end the standing up is repeated and generally the senior people on the high tables leave. After this people either sit back down or leave.
Formals often have rules which you must abide by such as no mobile phone use – turn on ‘Do not disturb’. Different colleges have different levels of rules, do ask about these in your relevant college.
What to do next?
Take ear plugs and maybe ask to sit on the end of a table.
Practical tips
- Decide ahead whether you want to attend and be quick to sign up (set an alarm) for popular events. Extremely popular events and formals can be sold out within 10 minutes.
- Plan what to wear ahead of time.
- Take ear plugs.
- Ask about rules.
- Ask to sit on the end of a table in a quieter corner. Ask to know exactly where you may be sat so you can easily find your seat.
- Take something to fidget with instead of a phone.
About the author
Written by a current Durham University student