And as Cabot resident Brian K. Kim '01 pointed out, holding the formal off-campus allowed the party to continue until 2 a.m., an hour past the time campus formals were required to wind down.

Some students, however, had mixed feelings about the location.

"To be honest, it's kind of a nice idea to have it in a club," Christine J. Nyereyegona '00 said, "but I expected the club to be a bit more up-market."

Winthrop and Eliot Houses, the next two formals on our list, both happily hosted residents within their stately River House courtyards.

The Winthrop formal featured a tent housing its open bar, a jazz band in the JCR, and a DJ kicking it in the dining hall.

"I think it's more relaxed here, and [the Winthrop JCR] is a great room for dancing," said Jennifer M. German '00.

Once again, those in favor of the location touted its accessibility, and those who would have liked to go off campus complained that the Houses are too familiar for formal affairs.

"I think they'd get a worse turnout if it were somewhere else, said Nandita Ghosh '01. "But knowing that it's in the dining hall is strange,"

As befitted the reputation attached to their "fete," Eliot House residents expressed unanimous pride in their courtyard set-up, which included a large tent for swing dancing to supplement club music inside the dining hall.

"The fact that [the fete] is here makes it all the much better," said Courtney A. Ermler '99. "The Eliot courtyard itself is absolutely beautiful. There's no reason to leave here."

Alluding to the similarities between the Eliot, Winthrop and Lowell formals, Putney W. Cloos '98 even went so far as to claim that other Houses try to emulate the fete.

"Every other House formal tries to copy us," she said "I think it's flattering."

Into the Groove

In the end, location's important, but atmosphere is what defines the party. From the last waltz to the next volume of MTV's "Party to Go," formal moods can be as different as the spirits of the Houses themselves.

Despite these differences, one recurrent theme was the popularity of pre-parties.