Last Spring, heartbreak struck the SFU campus when the Highland Pub announced its closure. Gone would be wing Wednesdays and everybody’s favorite place to go out on a Thursday night. Tears were shed by the incoming first years that they would never get to experience such a phenomenon. So, it was a huge surprise to hear that the SFSS would be reopening the pub for a Halloween Pub Night! There was hope that the good times would keep rolling.
With the re-opening of the pub, it came to many people’s surprise how fast the tickets sold out. The tickets were sold in three tiers: early bird ($5), tier 1 ($10) and tier 2 ($15). The early bird out within the first couple of days, long before many people even knew about the revival of the pub for the Halloween event. Not long after, the entire event was sold out (a pretty rare event in itself). With all the tickets gone, it was time to get involved in bidding wars. People were so desperate for tickets that some were being sold for $45. Through intense Facebook bidding wars and endless e-transfers of money, many were still left looking for a ticket. The pub was definitely missed by many.
The excitement of cheap drinks, friendly bouncers, and endless throwbacks was in the air the morning of October 26th. As classes ended for the day, people ventured off campus for a short while to grab some food and put on their Halloween decor.
There were some very impressive costumes such as a Shrek and Donkey combo as well as an appearance made by Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy from SpongeBob Squarepants. Of course, (I was guilty of this too) there were the expected costumes of devils, cats and a mouse (duh?).
This pub night was unlike any before. Drink options were limited to highballs, beer, wine and pop which came as a disappointment, but to make up for the travesty, there was also some new additions to these legendary nights. While usually, only a small portion of the lower level would be open, this time I was all available and filled with people. Downstairs offered pizza, soft pretzels and a photo booth (so basically all you could ask for on a night out). With Low by Flo Rida playing so loud you could feel it in your heart, the neon lights and a great crowd of people, it was hard to not have a fun time there.
While it was fun that the pub is back, it raises the question of if there will be more in the future (I sure hope so). While the Highland is not open for regular hours, all we can do is hope that more events like this will be around the corner shortly. This pub night reminded me of the community that SFU has and the fun that comes along with university.