InsaneJournal

It's a good thing that classes are over, because students need all the time they can get to don the dress robes, suits and gowns demanded by the formal theme. Starting at 7 PM, house-elves will take cloaks and coats when students arrive, and usher them past silvery curtains into a sparkling ice palace. Crystal columns and shimmering frost-covered curtains create the illusion that everything in the Atrium is made of ice, and the whole area is lit by a gigantic floating chandelier of real icicles and cold-burning blue flames. Even the floor has been polished to an icy sheen, and dancers will feel like they're gliding across the frozen lake. (Don't worry, it's not actually as slippery—or cold!) Magical snow falls from the Atrium ceiling, vanishing into nothingness just above everyone's heads.

For entertainment, Po'boy Peep Show is playing an opening set on the stage (which is edged in magical fake snow). After the show, the doors to the cafeteria open, revealing that the whole area's been taken up by a romantic maze of fake trees lit up by fairy lights. It's the perfect place to get lost with your date. The maze keeps magically changing, revealing a fresh experience each time, and anyone who manages to reach the exit receives a prize.

A sumptuous dinner has been laid out buffet-style on long tables, and students can eat at little tables and chairs which have been enchanted to look as though they're made of ice. Each table sits four at the most, and house-elves are on hand to provide or clear plates and cutlery. Refreshments are provided at the crystal punch bowl, and Prospero is watching carefully to make sure no one spikes it! Vegan, vegetarian and kosher options are available and clearly marked.

Outside on the large balcony overlooking the lake, you can keep company with four ice sculptures depicting nymph-like figures playing with a bear, a fox, jays, or a school of trout. If you want breather, you can sit at one of the little white benches, next to bluebell flame lamps providing warmth and light on this chilly but romantic December night.

• The dance starts at 7:00 PM, and runs until around 11:00 PM.
• Students will be leaving first thing in the morning, and were encouraged to spend as much time packing as they did preening.
• Most students will wear gowns and suits, but you only need to wear semi-formal for admittance.
• The music will start upbeat and appropriate for wild dancing, and as the night goes on it'll slow to romantic slow dances and classical.

» Setup: In the afternoon, Event Committee work on getting the Atrium looking its best. Event Committee has thrown up magically impenetrable curtains around the Atrium, so even students exiting lunch at 1 PM won't be able to see what they're working on. At 2 PM, the cafeteria is closed for a "surprise."

» BEFORE THE DANCE: It's chaos for hours as everyone tries to figure out how to make themselves presentable for the formal/semi-formal dress code. The trails have been swept by Mr. Covington, to make it easy as possible for students get to the lodge. (He recommends wearing your boots, and changing footwear once you reach the lodge.)

» THE BEGINNING OF THE DANCE: Students are allowed into the Atrium and get to admire the decorations and everyone's finest clothes. The student band, Po'boy Peep Show, plays a short set to get things started. (~7:00 PM)

» THE TREE MAZE: The cafeteria doors open, revealing a forest of pale white trees and bushes, with silvery leaves that reflect the fairy lights adorning them. The ceiling has been made to look like a starry, partially clouded sky, and fake snow flurries fall down onto the maze. It’s a beautiful, dazzling, and somewhat disorienting sight. The maze is large, with multiple nooks and crannies for amorous couples to get lost in, complete with plush white loveseats and one romantic gazebo. In order to keep things interesting, the maze shifts and changes, opening and closing routes, so no two walks are the same! Anyone who makes it to the end of the maze receives a delicate crown of ice. However, there’s an unforeseen game that comes out of this...

• RACING: Certain enterprising students have made a game of timing their progress through the maze. There’s no prize besides bragging rights, but is that really going to stop you from trying? Reply to the sub-comment labelled “RACING” and one of the mods will rng how long it took to get through the maze. For the sanity of the mods, any given character can only try five times. (The fourth and fifth attempts will always be a guaranteed success.)
• The current fastest is Casey & Ivy with a time of 6:38.

» THE MIDDLE OF THE DANCE: Finally, things really take off! There's dance music, dinner is served, and everyone is milling about freely. (~8:00-11:00 PM)

» THE BALCONY: The balcony overlooks the lake, and some students mingle out here to chat or appreciate the scenery. (~8:00-11:00 PM)

» END OF THE NIGHT: At 11 PM, a strange chill passes through the Atrium—it’s the only warning before the chandelier’s charms fail. Thanks to the quick thinking of Christopher Park, who casts a giant shield charm over the dance floor, and Leonardo Fiori, who melts most of the ice before the chandelier hits the ground, no one is seriously hurt—although a few people do get doused with ice water. (~11:00-12:00)

» late night: After the dance has long since passed, is there anything else happening? (12:00 AM onwards.)

» ooc: questions, comments & concerns