As a Badger hopeful, there were two main things I always heard Wisconsin students brag about: Jump Around and Halloween. Our claim to fame and everyone’s favorite non Game Day weekend is finally here. This year, as a senior, my goal is to actually make it out all weekend. Freshmen year I spent Friday night in bed with a cold while my roommate donned my super cute Bunny costume, sophomore year I missed out on Friday night again to take care of a friend who got a little too cozy on her bathroom floor, and last year, Game Day got the best of us and we just could not make it to Freakfest.
Since I keep telling my self that next year (the real world, post-grad life, misery, whatever you want to call it) simply does not exist, I’d like to take a little more time to bask in Wisconsin’s glory. After three years of ‘Wiscoween,’ I think I can truthfully brag about our insane Halloween traditions and I know I will be doing so for years to come. Here are the best parts about celebrating Halloween as a Badger and the things I’ll miss most when I’m a grown up next Halloween:
Freakfest
If you like running around on a Game Day decked out in red with over 80,000 of your friends, you’ll love Freakfest even more. Freakfest has a reputation as one of the nation’s wildest Halloween celebrations and one of the best college parties, as over 100,000 people flock to the six-block stretch between Library Mall and the Capitol. One of my favorite Halloween memories is jamming out to Neon Trees’ Animal on State Street my sophomore year. If you’re not going for the incredible live music lineup, the partygoers’ costumes are enough to draw you. State Street attracts some of the most creative and hilarious costumes of the weekend. As an added bonus, Freakfest allows you to ditch the sexy costumes for something a little warmer and much comfier!
Halloweekend
In grade school, Halloween lasted one day. If we were lucky and Halloween fell on a weekend, we got two days of mayhem, real Halloween and school Halloween. Deciding on the perfect school Halloween outfit was always the most important part of the holiday. In college, Halloween lasts all weekend. This year, since Freakfest is set for Saturday, Halloween will take over an entire week. If you’re indecisive like me, the best part about an extended Halloween is not having to settle on only one costume and not having to pick out outfits for those nights.
Acceptable Attire
I’m sure you were expecting me to drop the classic Mean Girls Halloween quote here, but since I already did that last week, I’ll refrain. Yes, we all love the fact that we can get away with wearing almost anything (or nothing) on Halloween, but there is one other Halloween clothing perk that I’d like to call your attention to: Converse. Don’t get me wrong, I love heels as much as the next girl, but having an excuse not to wear them out is amazing. There’s nothing I love more than the fact that it’s socially acceptable to walk into any bar on Halloween in my broken in Converse. Almost every Halloween costume looks instantly more adorable with a pair of playful Converse, so I would suggest seizing this opportunity.
The Walk of Shame
Okay, this one may not sound so great on the surface but hear me out. You’ll probably only enjoy the post-Halloween walk of shame if you’re not the one doing it. For those of us who witness this morning after, it is absolutely hysterical. What funnier way to start your Friday than to see a girl walking home in a combination of last night’s costume and whatever she grabbed off the lucky guy’s floor in an attempt to stay warm. Next Halloween, when you’re living at home with your parents (yikes!) or in your own big girl apartment in some glamorous city (fingers crossed!), these walk of shames will definitely be less frequent, so enjoy the comic relief while you still can.