Halloween festivities return to campus
Spooky season preparations are in full swing this week at Yale as the ghosts and goblins arrive.
Yasmine Halmane, Photography Editor
As we approach Halloweekend, students are scrambling to assemble the perfect group ensembles, scouring Amazon for outfit pieces and pinning posts to their Pinterest boards.
This year’s Halloween celebrations fall right after October break, with the infamous Hallowoads serving as the informal kickoff of the festive weekend on Oct. 26.
“Despite the chaos it causes, I think the spectacle of seeing hundreds of Yalies in and around Toad’s Place all dressed up and dancing is one of the funniest sights at Yale,” Junior College Council President Kenan Collignon ’24 wrote in an email to the News.
Although tickets for Hallowoads are already sold out, the spooky celebrations do not end there.
Movies and shows
On Oct. 26, students can opt to hop off campus and enjoy a free screening of “Coraline” at the Pitkin Plaza. The open event begins at 8 p.m., following the 7 p.m. showing of “A Quiet Place 2” with the ASL association.
The festivities will continue on Thursday, Oct. 27, with an 8 p.m. screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Shubert Theater, as well as a cappella and comedy performances from Mixed Company, Baker’s Dozen and The Cucumber.
On Halloween night, many students will attend the most anticipated event of the week — the Yale Symphony Orchestra’s midnight Halloween Show. All six of the interviewed students acknowledged the annual event as the epitome of All Hallows’ Eve.
As the last minutes of Halloween pass by, the select number of students lucky enough to have gotten tickets will finish out their 2022 Yale Halloween experiences at the sold-out show.
Social chair of the YSO executive committee Atticus Margulis-Ohnuma ’25 told the News that each orchestra section will unveil their costumes and specific entrances to the audience of nearly 2,000 students crowded into Woolsey Hall.
“Nothing compares to taking the stage and feeling like an absolute rockstar; when the enthusiasm of the cheering crowd elevates the performance and adds a lot to the overall atmosphere,” Margulis-Ohnuma said. “Everyone who has a ticket should be really excited and everyone who doesn’t should hope to go next year.”
Campus celebrations
Progressing through the week, the Spizzwinks (?) are scheduled to host the first Yale-affiliated Halloween bash at Luther on Oct. 28. While this is only one of the many parties happening on Friday night, students can break out their costume of the night here before popping into the neighboring houses.
If seeking an alternative venue for the evening, the Modern Refuge Restaurant and Bar presents a Fleetwood Mac Tribute at their Halloween Party, starting at 9 p.m., in addition to the Halloween Bash at Partner’s Cafe.
Residential college communities will join in on the conviviality, with Grace Hopper College hosting its customary Liquour Treat, in addition to the inaugural Harry Potter Family Dinner — the latter serving as an intimate, exclusive event for Hopper students to experience the Hogwarts Great Hall.
“The idea originated in Hopper College Council but wasn’t executed last year, so we are thrilled to make it a reality,” Hannah Cevasco ’23 wrote in an email to the News. “We have floating candles, house banners, golden snitches, a sorting hat — the works.”
Maintaining the same animated energy, the decades-old tradition of the Pierson Inferno will stage an epic comeback after a three-year COVID-induced hiatus. Sending students back to the ’70s with its disco theme, the Pierson College Council is set to welcome over 400 students from all residential colleges into the Pierson dining hall Saturday night.
“The planning process began last year with talking to Pierson administration and upper class students who had experienced Inferno in its heyday, but the real nuts and bolts began when we got back to campus this fall,” Pierson College Council President Matthew Bray ’24 wrote in an email to the News.
Inferno kicks off at 10 p.m. on Oct. 29 and runs well into Halloween eve, concluding at 1 a.m..
As the weekend winds down, students can join Kasama, the Filipinx Club at Yale, on Oct. 30 for their Y2K-themed “Halo-Haloween” event to try halo-halo — Tagalog for “mix-mix.” Made up of shaved ice, sweetened beans and fruit drizzled with evaporated milk and ice cream, halo-halo is one of the most popular desserts from the Philippines.
In light of the weekend ahead, be sure to keep an eye on the forecast, as sporadic rainfall is expected throughout Halloweekend.