In light of the cancellation of Trinity Ball for the second consecutive year, due to the ongoing pandemic, Trinity Ents has announced an online alternative to the hallmark event.
In a press statement, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Ents Officer Hugh McInerney described Trinity Festival as an “online livestreamed concert” which will feature a medley of big name artists, staff, and students.
This event will take place on April 23rd at 9pm and will be free to view from anywhere in the world.
Malaki, Nealo and Ailbhe Reddy have been named among the event’s headline acts. They will be joined by upcoming student artist Tertia, recent graduate Ellie O’Neill and Dublin-based band Big Sleep, whose pre-recorded performances will be set against the backdrop of some of Trinity’s best-known on-campus locations.
While proudly supporting “these wonderful artists in such a tough time for the entertainment industry”, the Ents team also promised to include segments which will highlight “the wonderful ways societies and services in Trinity have adapted and thrived during the pandemic”.
In the press release, McInerney said that the event “will highlight the ways our college has coped with such a tough time for everyone in our community and serve as a reminder that no matter how distant it seems normality will soon return”.
Further information will be available closer to the time.
In January, McInerney announced that Trinity Ball would be cancelled for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an email statement to The University Times at the time, McInerney said: “The Trinity Ball Committee had a meeting this week and unfortunately, due to the uncertainty of public health restrictions and the rapidly changing regulations, the TBC have advised the Capitations Committee that holding a ball in 2021 would not be feasible.”
“I raised and argued strongly for the possibility of a ball later in the year”, McInerney said, “but the committee decided that with the numerous factors surrounding large events in Ireland and how the situation can drastically change in a matter of days, it would be safer to cancel the ball for 2021 and focus on a return to Trinity Ball in April 2022”.
“We are of course extremely disappointed by the cancellation of the ball for a second year in a row, but public health and student safety understandably has to come first.”
