'Cold, wet, and windy'—the immortal words of The Other Guys sum up why St Andrews isn't known for its outdoor events. Most students would rather risk asphyxiation through cramming into Aikman’s than spend one minute more than necessary socialising out of doors. Yet every September, in the dimming echelons of Freshers' week and summer weather, a group of inebriated students line up along north street and pray for sunshine. This is Starfields.
Starfields is the autumn opener for the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show, commonly abbreviated to FS (Starfields is SF--see what they did there?). This year's music festival hosted three DJs on Lower College Lawn: Hayley Zalassi, PAX, and LAVERN all crammed into a marquee so sleek and modern it was a fashion statement in itself. This polished presentation was a theme throughout the event: from the archways bedecked with fashion show photos and bunting to the neat little Spoiled Life stand to my flashy, laminated press pass.
An immense amount of thought and care had gone into the festival—and also an immense amount of money. Signs of sponsorship were everywhere: most notably from Red Bull, whose representatives plied the queue with drinks and whose logo bedecked several tables and lounge chairs on College Lawn itself. A perennially popular face-painting stall bedazzled attendees with glitter, and the bars—as always—were packed.
Credit: Callisto Lodwick.
Despite the ostensibly outdoor setting, most of the guests crowded into the wind-free covered areas. The DJ tent itself was slow to draw crowds as most people crowded into the quieter drinks tents, but as the weather grew colder and alcohol creeped through systems people slowly began to migrate towards the music. The outdoor attractions drew a weaker crowd: people didn’t lounge on the plentiful benches as much as organizers might have hoped, though a few groups did brave a seat on the grass for a while. A small but steady group clustered around the food trucks—Starfields had Mister Softee, The Troff (serving shawarma and chips) and Fallone’s Pizza. As typical with event food, it was delicious but overpriced. More problematic were the toilet queues: lines are to be expected at these sorts of events, but for an event serviced solely by portable toilets, you'd think the committee could have ordered a few more.
And as for the music itself? While Hayley Zalassi’s set was a little subdued, dominated by punchy, lyricless, electronic music, PAX and LAVERN wove pop and rap hits into their sets for the sing-along sensation people come to festivals looking for. It was by no means a revolutionary lineup to DJs, but the crowd danced along happily, especially as the night wore on.
Credit: Callisto Lodwick.
Though a particularly long night it was not. As evidenced by the fashions—short skirts and beachy flannels mixed with more traditional leather clubbing wear—Starfields is an event for a sunny afternoon. As brisk autumnal winds came to join the evening, the party quickly dispersed. While some guests headed to an official afterparty at Lupos, most others enjoyed a completely separately-organised Saturday night—or headed home to sleep off their hangovers before classes start.
I find it difficult to stamp an official opinion on parties, balls, and festivals: unlike art and theatre, so much of the experience depends on who you go with and how you embrace the options on offer that to offer a definitive verdict seems impossible. But Starfields—with its sleek tent and setlist of DJs—offered guests the right ingredients to have a good time.
Did that mean they had to brave monstrously long queues to buy a drink or use the loo? Yes. Did that mean they might have to sum up more enthusiasm than can normally be mustered for getting covered in glitter? Of course. And did they have to embrace taking their first sips of alcohol just after noon? Many did. If you can stomach that—and brave the cold—you’ll have a perfectly nice time at Starfields. If you’re the more art-inclined sort, wait for the fashion show. After all, that’s the main event.
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