Every year, news from beyond the grave about nightlife at Ursinus College sends thrilling chills through the student body. From ghastly ghosts to gorgeous ghouls, everyone dresses in their costumes for the parties of their (after)lives. Haunted houses full of ghosts open their doors to welcome all creatures and monsters to campus for a frightening weekend of devilish delight. Enjoy dancing, music, a bite to eat, party games and more all across campus—especially along Main Street. Students and faculty are known to be fabulous ghost hosts this time of year, so please enter—if you dare!
Historically, “Halloweekend” runs the last weekend of October. This year, Halloween falls on a Friday; parties along Main Street will be running from Halloween through November 2nd! There are plenty of alcohol-free events during the week leading up to Halloween as well. From the Fall Ball, to Fall Fest, to Homecoming and Family Weekend, to the haunted houses, to the Halloween Parade, to the Halloween festival itself, there’s no shortage of enchanting spectacles to partake in.
Originating on November 5th, 1921, the humble beginnings of “Halloweekend” were the return of Ursinus Alumni on “Old Timer’s Day.” This later evolved into “Homecoming,” a title officially granted to the event in 1961. As time went on, so grew the spectacle and community of Ursinus College—”Homecoming” combining with “Family Day” to create “Homecoming and Family Weekend,” (HFW) which will take place on October 24th & 25th this year. In years past, there has even been overlap between Halloween and HFW, merging the events into a jam-packed Alumni-Halloweekend fusion, featuring festivities, sporting events, the nostalgia of alums and the excitement of Halloween. These events are components of a larger initiative from the Office of Student Engagement to bring students together through community-building activities throughout the fall. The best part? everyone is welcome to attend these wickedly wonderful events!
As Ursinus grew to be closer with the community of Collegeville—including the Collegeville Rotary Club—so grew the scale of events such as the long-standing Halloween Parade on Main Street, where college festivities kick off in the Berman Museum lawn. Students can now anticipate a week of Halloween celebration alongside many other spooky events throughout October sponsored by the Office of Student Engagement, all in anticipation of “Halloweekend”—where students can dress up, check out some popular haunts, and have fun with their friends at Halloween Bingo. Other on campus events include the Berman Museum’s hosting of a mystifying art gallery accompanied with haunting music courtesy of the Wind Ensemble. There are also events off-campus that students are encouraged to check out, including live music at Troubles End Brewing.
Since the conception of “Halloweekend,” the senior Halloween party has been a massive hit. A long-standing tradition for the senior class, this off-campus Halloween party is a large-scale event exclusive to graduating seniors. There, students can drink, play games with friends, dance and have a fun time. Last year, it was a ticketed event held at The Trappe, a popular local bar.
Whether it be painting pumpkins, decorating residence halls, eating sweet treats, pulling harmless Halloween pranks, or going out to parties with friends, everyone is invited to join in this frightfully fabulous time on campus. Here at Ursinus College we have 1,406 happy haunts. So please, stay a while… We always have room for one more!