Music, dancing, photo booths, lounge chairs, dinner and dessert overlooking San Francisco’s nighttime skyline — sound fun? Tickets go on sale Friday for Palo Alto High School upperclassmen to attend Prom 2013.
According to senior Jessica Tam, Associated Student Body president, the dance, which will be held at the Metreon on Saturday, April 27, will have the theme of “When the Lights Go Down in the City.”
“We definitely wanted to do something with the stars and the sky especially because we have the city [sky]line,” Tam said. “Definitely the highlight of the venue is the balcony that’s on the outside [of the Metreon]. … We’ll be right in the middle of the city and you can see the skyline; it’s super gorgeous, so we thought it [the theme] was appropriate.”
Tickets, which go on sale this Friday online on the Paly Web Store and at the auditor’s office, will cost $100 with an ASB card or $110 without one. The price, an increase of $10 over last year’s tickets, is reflected in the cost of various entertainment add-ons.
“This year the venue’s a little bit more expensive than last year and [with] the add-ons and the accommodations that we have it all ended up being a little bit more expensive than last year,” Tam said.
This year’s venue, the Metreon, will differ somewhat from last year’s San Francisco Design Galleria, according to ASB Director Matt Hall.
“The Metreon is different in that it offers a view of the city, I think about 270 degrees,” Hall said. “It’s up on the fourth or fifth floor so you have a nice nighttime vista. The Design Galleria was all enclosed and indoors whereas the Metreon will have the outdoor and then the indoor component.”
Hosted an hour earlier than in the past, Prom will start at 7 p.m. and end at 11 p.m. due to San Francisco’s law banning excessive noise during the evening. Compared to The Design Galleria, the Metreon has a balcony that raises concerns over noise level. The earlier ending time also allows students to get home at a reasonable hour.
“We moved up the time this year so people don’t get back too late,” Tam said. “There are also city ordinances about noise so we wanted to make sure that we didn’t disturb anyone too late at night.”
The Metreon was selected last May by the ASB officers with the help of an event planner.
“Usually we work with our event planner and they give us places that we can get into on our dates that we need,” Hall said. “We take a look at which place kind of fits our needs and which they [the ASB officers] think is the coolest. We began the process last May and then they made a pick for the Metreon.”
While the main attractions will be the Metreon’s dance floor and the view of the city, Tam says there will be other entertainment options for those less inclined to show off their dance moves.
“We are definitely having a photo booth again this year and there’s going to be some lounge furniture outside for people to just hang out,” she said. “I believe we’re getting heat lamps as well just because it might get cold. There’s [also] going to be a full dessert table like last year.”