Campus Gears Up for Halloweekend

UPDATED: October 27, 2017 at 2:55 p.m.

With Halloween just four days away, Harvard students and administrators alike are preparing for a weekend of festivities and events, ranging from the freshmen-only Fright Night dance to Currier House’s annual "Heaven and Hell" party.

These activities, organized by the Office of Student Life and the Undergraduate Council, aim to provide students with an opportunity to take part in festivities free of charge.

The First Year Social Committee will host "Fright Night" on Friday night in Annenberg Dining Hall for freshmen students. The event is modeled after previous years’ Haunted Hall event, which was open to all undergraduates. According to FYSC member Jackson C. Walker ’21, who helped plan the dance, Fright Night is “not quite a rave, but a large-style dance that will hopefully draw as much of the freshman class as we can.”

“As the FYSC, we decided to continue the tradition of a large Halloween event, but we wanted to make it just freshmen because... we are the First Year Social Committee, but also, we feel it’s the first time to come together since Opening Days,” Walker said. “It’s a good chance for us to be a community, as a class.”

Heaven and Hell, an event sponsored by Currier’s House Council and open to all undergraduates, will also take place on Friday night.

“Given that the College Events Board decided to restrict the Haunted Hall event only to first-year students, we believe that there should be some inclusive and accessible social space for people to celebrate Halloweekend,” the UC’s Student Life Committee Chair Arnav Agrawal ’20 said.

Although there was previously a fee of $3 for non-Currier residents, the SLC’s funding has made the event free for all Harvard undergraduates.

Students can also take part in various events sponsored by the Office of Student Life, which include a trip to a local farm and trick-or-treating on Halloween Day. Despite Halloween weekend coinciding with Freshman Family Weekend this year, Associate Dean for Student Engagement Alexander R. Miller says that there are still many activities planned for the holiday.

These events, Miller explained, are designed to appeal to different tastes, in support of the OSL’s mission of cultivating an inclusive student experience.

“We are providing a variety of events for students to participate in,” Miller said. “There are things for people who want a more relaxed environment, there are things for students who want more of a lively environment, so I think just within those events alone, we can support that.”

Although none of the events require costumes, students can express their creativity by dressing up.

“I’m gonna be a Lamonster for Halloween this year,” Agrawal said. “I plan to dress up as a monster and have a big placard on my chest that says Lamont.”

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: October 27, 2017

A previous version of this article incorrectly indicated that the First Year Social Committee is part of the Undergraduate Council. In fact, it is under the Freshman Dean's Office.