May Day

May Day is a big celebration in Oxford. Balliol celebrated with a black tie dinner on the evening of April 30st, followed by a jazz concert and a dance party back at Holywell Manor. Although most of the May Day parties are all-night events, I crashed by about 3am. However, I was up again at 5am to catch the big Oxford May Day tradition: for over 500 years, large crowds gather around the Magdalen Tower to listen to the Magdalen College choir at 6am. Feeling like I couldn't miss out, I gathered with probably 10,000 others to hear the choir. Due to the crowds, I was at least three blocks from the tower, and could only hear faint singing. But it was worth it just to see such a crowd in Oxford at 6am (quite a few of whom were still in black tie from the night before), and to see the traditional Morris dancers (odd English folk dancers) entertaining those in the streets afterwards. The picture below is of the crowd in front of me- the tower in the distance is Magdalen Tower, and the choir is gathered atop.