Formal Halls
Greetings from the Queens' MCR Steward! If you enjoy good food, then you have made the right decision by choosing Queens' as your college. Queens' has an excellent reputation among Cambridge colleges for providing an amazing dining experience and I hope you will make the most of it during your time here! Below you will find everything you need to know to enjoy Queens' dining to the fullest. If you have any questions, please contact the Food and Formal Steward on mcr-steward@queens.cam.ac.uk.
Upay (Cashless Payment System)
First off, booking and payment for Formal Hall dinners is done online via Upay. Using this site will make college life a lot easier! You can put money onto your University Card, which allows you to pay for meals in the buttery, pay for food and beverages in the Queens' Café during daytime, pay for food and drinks in QBar in the evenings, and, of course book and pay for your Formal Hall Tickets. How to set up your Upay account:
- Follow the instructions given on the website.
- The Company ID for Queens' College is 32.
- Your User ID can be found on the back of your University Card in the bottom left hand corner, before the forward slash (e.g. xy1234t).
For more details, see here
On to the dining events:
Formals are three-course dinners rather similar to your matriculation dinner. They cost approx. £14.00 for QMCR members and £15.50 for guests.
Dates
MCR-only dinners are held every Thursday or Friday during term-time (alternating). They are our very own private dinners and are wonderful to go to on a regular basis – or even just every now and then to celebrate a birthday or to invite some friends. There are also Formal Halls on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Although it says these are "JCR Formal Halls", as a graduate student you are very welcome to attend!
Place and Time
Cripps Hall (Dining Hall), Queens' College. The doors are closed at 19.30 (be sure to be there on time – otherwise you won't be let in!).
Dress Code
The dress code is suit and ties for the gentlemen and an appropriate equivalent for the ladies (no jeans, sneakers or t-shirts allowed!). Gowns are mandatory for Queens' members.
Drinks
Water as well as coffee and tea is served. You may bring up to one bottle of wine per person, for which no corkage fee is required.
Booking
You can book tickets for yourself and one guest on Upay. Bookings open one week prior to the event and close at lunchtime of the weekday before the dinner.
Vacation Formal Hall
Vacation Formals are the same as Formal Halls, apart from taking place during out of term-time and in the Old Hall. There are usually one to four vacation formals per term break.
Guest Night
Guest nights are slightly fancier formal halls; they are the perfect opportunity to invite a guest to enjoy a lovely dinner in the beautiful Old Hall.
Dates
They happen two or three times per term. Exact dates will be advertised. In Lent Term, two Guest Nights are dedicated to the Scottish poet Robert Burns (Burns Nights).
Place and Time
At 19:30, Old Hall, with pre-drinks being served at 19:00 in the Woodville Room.
Dress Code
Black Tie and gowns for Queens' members. If guests do not have a dinner jacket (tuxedo), they are also welcome to bring other dark formal attire to wear for the dinner.
Drinks
Like at Formal Halls, you are asked to bring your own wine. Port is served at the end.
Booking
As seats are limited, an application form will be sent out and tickets will be assigned with a random ballot. Those who are assigned their tickets pay via Upay. Preference is given to those students who have not attended a Guest Night before.
They cost approx. £30.00 for QMCR members and £38 for guests
Feast
Feasts are simply the HIGHLIGHT of each term where you will enjoy the best food Queens' has to offer. They are very elegant, graduate-only dinners in the Old Hall to commemorate important people in College history. After a champagne reception and a group photo, you will enjoy a five-course meal in Old Hall and a cocktail party at the end of the night.
Dates
Once per term. In Michaelmas Term, the Woodville Feast honours Elizabeth Woodville, one of the two queens who founded our college. In Lent Term, the Boar's Feast commemorates King Richard III. The Machin Feast in Easter Term is held in honour of Kenneth Ewart Machin, a fellow at Queens' who was Senior Tutor as well as Senior Treasurer of the MCR for many years. In Easter Term there is also the Barbels and Boar Feast (named after the animals depicted on our coat of arms and the badge), which is free and only open for those Graduate students who are about to finish their course and their studies at the college.
Place and Time
Old Hall. They usually start at 18.45 in the MCR Woodville Room for pre-drinks.
Dress Code
Black Tie. No gowns are worn.
Drinks
Are included for each of the courses, as well as port after dinner. Additionally, there are pre- and post-drinks in the Woodville Room.
Booking
An online application is sent out and the winners of a random ballot pay their tickets via online bank transfer. Preference is given to those students who have not attended a Feast before.
Midtable Dinner
Midtable a unique Formal Hall, organised at personal invitation of the Postgraduate Tutors so that they (and other Fellows) can meet with you socially over dinner. It is a great opportunity to get to know Fellows and other students and find yourself engaged in conversations over dinner ranging from sport to renewable energy or from ethics to literature and poetry… or to share life’s experiences or any other trivial or serious conversation. Ask your Tutor to explain the origin of the name, “Midtable”.
Dates and Booking
You will be invited by the Tutors to register your interest in attending a particular Midtable that they are organising. Beware! It is very popular and usually oversubscribed, but keep trying! If you get a place, please treat it like an invitation to a private dinner party and make sure you are able to attend.
Place and Time
Both pre- and post-dinner drinks are usually at 7.15 in the SCR (Senior Combination Room).
Dress Code
Formal academic dress with gowns.
Drinks
Wine and water is provided during dinner and claret and coffee is served in the SCR.
Formal Exchanges
In addition to formal dinners in our own hall, members of Queens' MCR have an opportunity to experience dining in other colleges in our termly formal exchanges, organised by the two MCR Formal Exchange officers. Several times per term we’ll visit a graduate formal hall in another college, and in turn host guests from other MCRs at one of our own formal dinners. Formal swaps are always a fun occasion, and a great way to explore the atmosphere of other Cambridge colleges, and meet students from outside the Queens' community. Some of these formal swaps are "superhalls" with a specific theme, special menus and guests from multiple different colleges. For questions, get in contact with the Formal Exchange officers on mcr-exchanges@queens.cam.ac.uk.
Dress Code and Drinks
Dependent on the formal/college that is being attended. Details will be communicated via emails from the formal exchange officers.
Formal Hall of Christ College
Formal Hall of Gonville and Caius College