Throw it back to the 1990s and remember those pretty tragic school discos where we all wore slightly odd clothes and danced away to cheesy tunes with a disco ball throwing out bright colours across the school hall.
Well this pretty much sums up an Oxford bop, the only difference being the drinks on offer, naturally termed 'boptails'.
Each college holds their own bops at different points during the term. They are often held in the JCR and the JCR committee plan the theme and serve the drinks. The music is loud and very cheesy but later in the night, often turns into a silent dico (with personal headphones) so as not to annoy the neighbours.
The fancy dress motto seems to be the crazier the better. This results in some amusing sights later in the night; it's not unusual to see a group dressed as McDonalds in the local night club or a group of Power Rangers wandering through Broad Street at 1am...
Top Tips
Go for it with the fancy dress! No one will judge, this is what bops are all about.
There is absolutely no pressure to drink, everyone is welcome to the bops.
The Freshers bop is a great event to bond with your year group.
Glossary
Bops - College fancy dress parties.
Boptails - the cocktails made for the bops.
JCR - the Junior Common Room. The undergraduate area for socialising.
JCR Committee - elected members who represent students and organise events in college.