The May Balls are a long-standing tradition in Cambridge, with each one of the famous colleges celebrating the end of the academic year in their own way. With over 2,500 in attendance, St. John’s is the largest of the Cambridge Balls and they really know how to honour the occasion in style!This much-anticipated event was graced with headline performances from the very best in the entertainment business, including Katy B, Rudimental and Aluna George, so needless to say the technical production and delivery needed to be faultless. This is why the 12 strong St. John’s Ball Committee, this year hosted by Ilia Cherezov, turned to the technical expertise of the Hawthorn. The team has provided all lighting, sound, video projection, power, staging and rigging to the 5.5 hectare site for the last 13 years.

This year’s revellers were immersed in the magical themes of Narnia and Alice in Wonderland as they made their way between the beautifully lit courtyards to the multiple temporary venues. A plethora of catering and bar outlets ensured everyone was fed and watered whilst they enjoyed the impressive entertainment line-up, which included headline act Gorgon City. James Hunter, senior project manager for Hawthorn, stated: “It is quite a logistical feat working with buildings of this nature with many factors that need to be taken in to consideration such as load in restrictions, respect for the historic architecture and the well-being of local residents. Even after 13 years of having the privilege of working with the ball committee at St. John’s, the members continue to challenge us to design awesome solutions to add to their ball portfolio.”

The main feature this year was a stunning projection on to St. John’s Chapel tower where Hawthorn used some of the latest kit including their Avolites Ai media servers together with six Christie HD20K projectors. All of the Alice in Wonderland themed content was created in house by Hawthorn experts within the Cambridge office, using Adobe After Effects and CINEMA 4D.
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