Spooky season is here! As cobwebs, skeletons and pumpkins start to pop up all over Syracuse, get your costumes ready for these seven on-campus events to make the most of your Halloween season.
Glow Skate (Oct. 21)
Kick off your spooky celebrations by joining Orange After Dark for glow-in-the-dark ice skating at the Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion on Friday, Oct. 21! Skate the night away in your Halloween costume, have a blast with your friends and snap a picture with Otto! Glow Skate is free for students and no tickets are needed, only a valid Syracuse University I.D.
HalloQueen Ball (Oct. 22)
Join the LGBTQ Resource Center on Saturday, Oct. 22, for a night of dancing and hanging out at the HalloQueen Ball! Wear your best costume and try to win a trophy by participating in a variety of costume contests! The costume contest categories include:
- Face: Bones, bones, bones! Highlight your facial structure in a fierce or spooky look!
- Body: Before you lay down to die after being slashed, embrace your body in a bloody look.
- OTA (Open to All Realness)
- Female Figures: It’s a mystic night! Show us what kind of fairy you are.
- Male Figures: It’s a full moon and the werewolves are out! Bring it in a creative werewolf look.
- Non-Binary Figures: Comic Con is in town, but only for Halloween! Cosplay as your favorite character. Provide a photo reference when walking.
- Sex Siren: Bring it in your own sexy look, but don’t forget your animal ears!
- Best Dressed: Most creative Halloween costume. Think bizarre.
- Runway: Bring it in a high fashion horror movie killer lewk with a fierce walk.
- Performance: Jocks and cheerleaders, show us your spirit on the floor, dead or alive!
If the HalloQueen Ball sounds like an eerie good time to you, be sure to register for the event.
Halloween Dance (Oct. 27)
Break out your best “Monster Mash” moves and party at the first-ever Orange After Dark Halloween Dance! Come to the dance dressed in your Halloween costume for a chance to win a prize. Snacks will also be provided. The dance will be held in The Underground in Schine Student Center on Thursday, Oct. 27, and is free to attend. No ticket is required, just a valid Syracuse University I.D.
Harvest Festival (Oct. 28)
If fall fairs are more your vibe, head over to the Women’s Building Field between 2-7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, for Student Association’s Harvest Festival! Paint a pumpkin, play some field games and enjoy FREE food from local farms! And don’t forget to wear your Halloween costume so you can participate in the costume contest at 6 p.m.
Fright Nights (Oct. 28)
If you’re up for a good scare, join Orange After Dark on Friday, Oct. 28, at Fright Nights, the largest haunted attraction in Central New York. Get spooked at five different haunted houses, including their newest house, Devil’s Dungeon. Tickets for this OAD event are $3 and transportation to and from the venue is included. Tickets will be available through the Student Box Office starting Oct. 17 and will be required to attend the event along with a valid Syracuse University I.D. Buses will leave College Place at 8:30 p.m., and be sure to dress for the weather!
Late-Night Movie: “Nope”(Oct. 28 and Oct. 29)
Are scary movies your movie genre of choice this time of year? Then check out Orange After Dark and University Union’s Late-Night Movie screening of “Nope,” Jordan Peele’s latest science fiction horror flick starring Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya. Per Orange After Dark’s website, watch as “the residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.” “Nope” will be shown (for free!) on Friday, Oct. 28, and Saturday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m. in Gifford Auditorium. You can watch the movie trailer on YouTube.
Monster Roller Rave (Oct. 29)
Join Orange After Dark on Saturday, Oct. 29, for their last Halloween event of the season! The Monster Roller Rave will take place at the MAC Court in the Barnes Center at The Arch. Dress in your Halloween best and enjoy roller skating and jamming out to thriller throwback music. A ticket is not required to join the Roller Rave, but be sure to have your University I.D. Food will be available at this event with the purchase of a $3 ticket.
Written By Esteban Quiñones ’24, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications