After a two-year hiatus, Carleton’s Midwinter Ball has finally returned. This Saturday, Feb. 4, the 43rd annual Midwinter Ball will be held in Sayles-Hill Campus Center.
The event itself is a semi formal, prom-style event in which students are encouraged to dress in their best attire, with opportunities for dancing and socializing with friends. A free shuttle bus provided by Northfield Lines will run from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., making stops every fifteen minutes. The stop locations will be the Rec Center parking lot, Cowling/Evans Circle, Parish House and Sayles-Hill Campus Center.
Upon entering the dance, students can head to the lounge in Upper Sayles to check their coats. The ball will occur in three locations. In the Sayles-Hill Great Space, students can look forward to hitting the dance floor as a variety of student DJs play their personalized setlists. The Great Hall will house the Roseville Big Band, a 19-piece swing band that has played the event since 1994, and the Severance Hall Tea Room will host Salsa Del Soul, a nine-member orchestra that will perform a variety of dance music inspired by Spanish-speaking regions of the Caribbean.
The Black Student Alliance will have a free photo booth in Sayles 251, and pizza will be served throughout the night by members of the Student Activities Programming Board and Model UN.
In 2021 and 2022, Midwinter Ball was canceled due to high rates of COVID-19 on campus, leaving students disappointed. Now, the event is back at full capacity, and students are excited to experience it.
“I’m very excited for Midwinter Ball,” said Katherine Algren ’23. “I really loved getting the opportunity to dress up and dance with all my friends [at Midwinter Ball in 2020]. My favorite memory was getting ready with my friends, and I’m excited to do that again now as a senior.”
“I love getting dressed up and seeing everyone else dressed up as well,” said Scout Riley ’23, echoing Ahlgren’s sentiment. “I’m looking forward to the event and would encourage all underclassmen to embrace the event and dress for the occasion.”
Natalie Tatar ’26 had a more tepid viewpoint.
“I don’t know what my expectations are,” Tatar said. “I have heard really good things about it from seniors, but I’ve also heard many people speculating that it may be similar to Hauntcert, which a lot of people did not enjoy. I haven’t really made plans yet, because a lot of people I know will either be out of town, have conflicts due to athletics or just aren’t planning on going. I wish we had been informed of it a little further in advance, because it was announced kind of out of nowhere.”
Taylor Canas ’25 said: “I always have high expectations for Carleton-sponsored things…I’m almost always disappointed, but I’m very much an optimist. I’m hoping for a night of glitter, bow ties, ball gowns and fun.”