Those who attended the Halloween dance last year undoubtedly remember the lively tent full of music, dancing, and costumes of all sorts. This year’s event promises to be a similar scene, but is set in a new location and features the addition of a live band, according to Avery Cheng, ‘18 of SAO.

With new budgetary constraints in place this year, the planning committee’s main difficulty was deciding on a venue that was less costly than the heated tent from last year. Earlier this term, rumor on the street was that the event might occur at the Weitz, creating excitement from the many Weitz enthusiasts on campus. Unfortunately Weitz was not approved, nor was the Chapel due to its recent renovations. As of the contract finalization last week, SAO decided that the dance will be held in a familiar location for campus dances, Cowling Gym.

The Halloween dance is set to offer a surplus of food and fun. SAO plans to order over 100 pizzas, so you can forget doing a post-dance Sayles run. Student DJ David Pickart will kick off the night with music at 9:30, followed by the new addition of a concert by Sonny Knight and the Lakers, an upbeat, dancey band who were a hit when they performed at Spring Concert two years ago. A local Minnesotan band, they are a good fit for SAO’s budget. Student DJs Kifaya Taha, Joshua Reason and Dan Bollinger will follow the concert. The student DJs were selected based on their past experience and how well their music fit the desired atmosphere of the night.

Although the Halloween dance will be in Cowling, like most other dances throughout the year, Cheng expects a more exciting atmosphere and a greater turn out.

For those who tire of dancing, look for a photo booth throughout the night, and like last year, there will be a costume contest–this time on instagram. The contest will run all weekend long and winners will be chosen on Tuesday. You can enter by following carleton_sao and tagging carleton_sao on your costume photo as well as hashtagging #carletonhalloweekend.

Can’t wait until Saturday to indulge in Halloween festivities? Lee encourages everyone to check out Fall Fest on Friday the 30th where there will be caramel apples, pumpkin carving, Charlie Brown Halloween, and an a capella concert in the Rec. Additionally, SUMO will be running scary movies in the Weitz on Friday and Saturday. This weekend’s lineup promises to offer a release from midterm stress and guarantees a wide selection of festive activities.