There’s nothing like a night of free rides, free ice skating and free food to reel in hundreds of college students. We can’t help but bite at the chance to spend time with our friends and not have to pay the (nicely discounted, but still expensive) $66 it would take to go to Disney.
As someone who has attended three of these Light Up UCF events in my (almost) four years here, I have always been an advocate of them. The lines can seem discouraging from afar, but the wait always feels worth it.
This year, they seemed to have stepped up there game even more. There were the classic attractions: ice skating rink, Ferris wheel, rides in a horse-drawn carriage, the reindeer sleigh ride, the ice slide and the visits with Santa in Barnes and Nobles, and the Blizzard (one of those spin yourself while the ride is spinning attractions that are never a bad idea).
This year, Light Up UCF also had vendors at the event for students included CFE Federal Credit Union who offered students a slice of Domino’s pizza for free after you showed them you liked them on Facebook.
Another vendor offered a free photo booth that served as entertainment for those outside of the booth as well, due to the large TV screen that would share the crazy faces and silly reactions people had while in the booth.
There was even a food truck looking vehicle with Dance Dance Revolution playing on the side and students lining up to compete with one another in an epic battle.
These other additions took away from the lines for the other attractions that shouldn’t be ignored. The Ferris wheel and its glorious view of UCF provides the perfect opportunity to Instagram, which we can pretend doesn’t matter, but let’s be real, sometimes it does! The Blizzard leaves you feeling dizzy, in a good way, and the ice skating rink is the largest outdoor one in Orlando.
If you missed out on Thursday’s event, make sure to check out the second free student night on Monday, November 25 from 5pm to 12am. This night will include “UCF Runs on Dunkin” tumblers for the first 250 people as well as discounted coffee refills for a year to these lucky few.
Free pizza will be given out at 9pm and a free showing of “Fred Claus” will begin at 6pm.
Don’t miss out on SGA’s annual holiday gift to the students!