The annual Burgmann Toga Party: the one night a year where Greek Gods and Goddesses descend upon Burgmann College for a night of crazy festivity before classes force them to return to the mortal world. Last Wednesday night was no exception.

Toga Party 2015 was once again one of the biggest events of O-Week, the organisers of the event, Sammy Woodforde and Emma Jagot reporting that tickets were sold out by midday on Market day. Almost two thousand people packed into the grounds of Burgmann College, a myriad of sheet-clad students moving as one under the stars to the sounds of DJ Ember, while the tasty snacks of the Red Frogs crew flowed freely. Coloured togas were also clearly in favour this year, with plain white togas drowning in a sea of deep reds, purples and blues. Lincraft once again had made the most of what must be their busiest time of year, with how-to guides for making togas and reams of gold rope at the ready.

In light of the issues of last year’s Toga Party, including underage drinking and counterfeit entry wristbands, and after months of negotiations with Pro Vice Chancellor Richard Baker, security was noticeably tightened this year. An increased number of security guards had the perimeter of the party strictly guarded. Students attending Toga also had to go through two check points to gain entry, proving that they were both ANU students and over 18 years of age, heightening the sense of the exclusivity of the O-Week party.

The increased security was clearly a success, and Woodforde and Jagot were very happy with how the event ran. The night went off according to plan and without any major problems, a slight drizzle of rain that started half way through not even causing a pause in the party proceedings.  The only impediment in the night was how unprepared McDonalds in Braddon were for the flood of students who had traipsed into the city post-toga.

The success of the night, however, can really be attributed to the efforts of the Burgmann Toga committee, Woodforde stating that students really underestimate how much work goes into the night. A strong team fronted the preparations, which started in October 2014, and continued throughout the Summer break with the support of the whole of Burgmann College.

The tradition is over thirty years old and yet is clearly still going strong. So start picking out your toga fabric kids, Toga 2016 is only three hundred and forty-something days away.