The 2026 St Paul’s College formal continued a proud tradition as one of the most creative and ambitious endeavors in the University of Sydney’s Intercollegiate calendar.
This year’s formal ticket brought Eldorado: The Lost City of Gold to the Quad on Friday 16 October, transforming it into a world made for exploring, complete with a jungle, a lost city and a whole lot of gold.
One of the highlights of this year’s event was how much was conceptualised and built from the ground up by the students. The Dance Convenors’ Ticket and their first-year team built the water feature, two rivers, statue platforms and jungle bar themselves, adding their own handiwork to the spectacle.
After weeks of extraordinary teamwork, planning, and building, it was time to open the gates to the Lost City of Gold.
Guests journeyed through more than 300 tropical plants, layered to create the feel of a rainforest, before emerging into the golden glow of the lost city. A 4.5 metre fig tree stood at the heart of the jungle, with a student-built bar wrapped around its trunk. Beyond it, two linked tipi tents, lit gold from every angle, housed the dance floor.
There was plenty to discover between trips to the dance floor: a golden fire dancer, South American dancers and drummers, face painting, and encounters with real-life crocodiles and snakes. A live band and Pauline DJs Ethan Melton, Daniel Paridis, Robert Smith and Lachie Defina kept the music flowing throughout the evening.
Then, at 10pm, the city revealed another side. More than 12 large canvases, intricately hand-painted with UV artworks over nearly a week, sprang to life as the lighting switched. The jungle turned purple, entering its own “night jungle” mode and giving the celebrations a whole new look.
This year’s formal was proudly brought to life by students Hugo Sudell, Liliana Alexiou, Charlie Boydell, Emily D’Souza, George Tait, Kate Eggleston, Henry Windeyer, Olivia Merrilees, Jaime Lock and Patrick McLeish. Their vision, and the work of the ticket and team, turned the Quad into something wonderfully out of the ordinary.
From the first glimpse of gold to the late-night burst of UV colour, Eldorado was a night of surprises — with plenty of colourful moments to relive in the photos.
