With Free Food and Costumes, Students Celebrate Halloween

Like any other weekday afternoon, students flooded the Center for Government and International Studies building and walked past freshman dorms in the yard, but on Tuesday these students included a voodoo doll, several clowns, and a human-sized banana.

In celebration of Halloween, the Center for Government and International Studies hosted a trick-or-treating event in the afternoon and freshman proctors handed out candy in front of their dorms in the evening. The CGIS event included information about various international studies programs and offered a host of food from around the world.

“I went because of the free food and boba,” said Michael Bao ’21. “But while I was there I found out a lot about different programs.”

While many students, like Bao, did not dress up for the holiday, some said they put a lot of effort into their costumes.

Avril Saavedra '21 said she paid attention to every detail of her voodoo doll costume, which involved heavy makeup including fake blood.

“I have been planning it for a year. It only took me five hours to make the pieces and two hours to put it all together,” she said.

Saavedra said that some people—and animals—were frightened by her costume.

“There was a dog who saw me and immediately ran away and there were many people who did the same thing,” she said.

Multiple students masquerading as clowns roamed the Yard. Tuong H. Huynh ‘18 dressed as“Twisty the Clown” from American Horror Story. He said that preparation for the costume was intense and that this was his first time creating his own costume instead of buying one.

“The makeup took around an hour and a half,” he said. “The costume took like thirty five minutes to put on. I put the makeup on by myself and I had to learn how to put on eyeliner,”

Other students opted for the less time-intensive onesie costume, wearing bodysuits resembling Pikachu, Winnie the Pooh characters, and animals. Francis J. Choi ‘21 wore a giraffe onesie.

“I just had this onesie lying around so I thought it would be appropriate to wear today. I do usually dress up for Halloween,” Choi said.

Students also engaged in the festivities with single costume pieces like hats or animal ears.

“It’s Halloween. I still wanted to be in costume so I’m wearing a regular outfit but with cat ears,” Starr H. Rhee ’21 said.

A handful of freshman ate lunch in Annenberg Hall in costume. Jenna Moustafa ’21 wore a banana suit that she said she has owned since the third grade. She added that she planned to wear the costume to tennis practice.

“I just wanted to dress up. This isn’t for extra credit,” she said. “I love this costume.”