Cambridge Students Celebrate End Of Exams As They Stop For A Skinny Dip

Students and members of the public are spellbound by
 the glittering firework display over the river

School's out! Britain's brightest students go wild to celebrate the end of their exams at Cambridge's raucous all-night May Ball.

 Trinity College students marked the end of the academic year with a lavish knees-up at the May Ball
 Residents at Clare and Jesus College were also out in force to celebrate the end of the exam season
 Well-heeled students donned ball gowns, tuxedos and towering heels for the raucous event on Monday
 Guests feasted on olive and feta bruschetta, scallops, and maple and star anise-cured sea bass
 The lavish gathering goes on until 6am and students were seen stumbling home as the sun came up
 Some were even brave enough to strip off and take a dip in the River Cam in the sweltering weather.

Cambridge University students proved they know how to throw a party as they kicked off the summer break in spectacularly drunken style at the annual May Balls.

Well-heeled revellers donned their finery as they stumbled through the historic city in sparkling gowns, towering heels and formal tuxedos before stumbling home from the black tie event in the early hours.

Even as the sun came up this morning, it was clear the students had no intention of calling it a night as they clattered home from the all-night bash, with some even stripping off to take a dip in the River Cam.

The raucous annual gathering, traditionally a celebration of the end of exams and the beginning of the summer break, gives students a chance to let their hair down - and tonight it was the turn of Trinity, Clare and and Jesus College's residents to throw a lavish party.

The largest college at Cambridge, which has spawned some 32 Nobel Prize Winners, Trinity is famed for its annual summer party which kicks off with a parade through the city streets and ends with the infamous survivors' photo.

 This year, around 1,800 undergraduates dressed in ball gowns and tuxedos for the extravagant end-of-term party and were handed bottles of water and parasols to cope with the heatwave.

The sold-out ball, which rolls on until 6am, is the largest event of the Cambridge student social calendar and some students queued for several hours to get into the party on Monday evening.

Guests were treated to a five-course meal served in Trinity Great Hall, then students could tuck in to oysters, a hog roast and a chocolate fountain, while drinks were served from a floating punt on the river.

A sneak peek of the menu posted on Instagram by a member of the Trinity May Ball committee ahead of the event also suggested guests would be feasting on olive and feta bruschetta, scallops, and maple and star anise-cured sea bass.

They were then treated to entertainment from comedians, as well as a casino and jazz tent before sitting in punts on the historic Backs to watch the fireworks light up the skies around midnight.