It’s my favorite time of year –that time just after midterms and that time before group projects are due. You know the time of year where it is still warm enough to dress somewhat crazy and get away with it for Halloween. While most of us are still focusing on what we should wear for Halloween because we want to travel outside the realm of French maids, nurses and witches, let’s look at the fun aspect of Halloween – parties.
While there certainly will be no shortage in house parties and bar specials this year for Halloween at the University of Illinois, Halloween at the University of Illinois just is not what it could be. Here’s some colleges that make Halloween a much bigger deal than we do.
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Ranked as the #15 party school according to Princeton Review’s 2012 top party school survey, the University of Wisconsin – Madison celebrates Halloween in just about the same way as we do Unofficial, but better?
In Madison, they close down State Street for Halloween, but it is only because Halloween’s 2002 to 2005 ended up with mass rioting and tear gas. Closing of their version of Green Street, charging admission prices and limiting attendance to 80,000 was their safest option. Unofficial does not even end in rioting and it is pretty crazy. Is it safe to say that UW – Madison parties just a bit harder? Sad.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1677849,00.html
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/sns-viral-us-party-schools-list-pictures,0,3763734.photogallery
University of California at Santa Barbara
Another party school, UCSB is not only known their Halloween parties but for their police involvement at Halloween festivities. According to the Daily Trojan –the University of Southern California’s newspaper, last year patrol was involved in a strict enforcement policy over Halloween weekend that included a stringent noise ordinance and zero tolerance policy where officers immediately cited and arrested someone if there was a violation. Officers also towed any cars parked illegally. Way to be party poopers UCSB law enforcement.
http://dailytrojan.com/2010/10/27/ucsb-warns-halloween-visitors/
Ohio University
Not only do they consistently dominate us in Football but they also lead with an intense Halloween party that attracts students from surrounding schools across the Midwest and northeast. Unlike UCSB and University of Wisconsin – Madison, Ohio embraces the party culture on Halloween for all its greatness with an annual Halloween Block Party. Where as other schools enforce a zero tolerance policy, Ohio takes to only limiting the amount of guests students can have in residence halls, containing the madness on a city block and encouraging use of the buddy system.
http://www.ohio.edu/students/news/2011/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=1898965
At these schools, Halloween is sought after as one of the premiere events of the year. So it is really a wonder why Illinois does not take to doing the same exact thing, but a tad bit better. These schools get block parties and all we get is house parties and bars that end up getting raided. We need to find a way to better celebrate Halloween because after all it’s like Unofficial with costumes and without the disgusting looking green beer.