Cheers to Spring Quarter: The first week back yields a masquerade-themed dorm formal, bros in plaid shorts, and an overflowing toilet. What do these things have in common? Nothing, really, except they’ve all made this week’s Party Report, after the jump.
Monday night: The Keg
Does anything say “Welcome back to Northwestern” better than the first Keg Monday? And this week doesn’t disappoint. Herds of undergrads make their way to the beloved dive bar to christen another quarter with sloppy and sweaty dance floor hookups. As the night wears on, it becomes clear the bouncers don’t care about creating fire code violations. Undergrads struggle to maneuver from the booths to the dance floor or game room, and like any sort of caged animal, they resort to pushing and pulling their way through the crowds. Hooking up just loses its appeal when you’re working to avoid thrown elbows.
Saturday night: Off-campus party
Clarke street inhabitants spice up an average Saturday night party with classy beers and a plethora of hard liquor. Some party guests take the time to mix fruity concoctions with strawberries, lemons, and limes, but most attendees opt for shots of rum and tequila. Beer pong participants are required to wear hats (house rules!) so a pirate, a sailor, and Abe Lincoln grace the table. By the end of the night the Blue Moon and Corona are exchanged for the usual Busch Light.
Saturday night: Dorm Formal
A masquerade-themed evening at the Hilton Garden Inn proves to be everything a dorm formal promises: awkward, forced, and “alcohol free.” Masks are handed out at the door, and guests are greeted under the signed condition that no alcohol will be imbibed during the three-hour event. Dinner proves lackluster, excluding the enthralling debacle between a Hilton Security guard and a fairly sloppy Freshman. The night’s DJ turns things around with a few crowd-pleasing tracks, but the dance is more of a high-school affair as couples abound and burly supervisors replace parent chaperons. When the lights come on, the floor clears very quickly and those attendees sill going strong hit up The Keg.
Satuday night: Off-campus frat party
Girls in polos and guys in plaid shorts crowd into an off-campus frat house for a Fratty Shack-themed party. A play on Chevy Chase’s infamous 1980 comedy, the theme provides partygoers an excuse to wear golf attire. The sweat-and-suffocation-inducing upstairs is stampeded by thirsty partygoers. With the exception of the Bloody Marys (essentially marinara sauce), the vast drink selection does not disappoint. If guests aren’t dancing on couches while holding onto the rafters, they’re gulping Arnold Palmers, beer, and “lemonade” until absolute silence is demanded. “Everyone! Shhhhh. The cops are outside.” Real cops? Saferide lights? Clever tactic to lower the capacity at the party? … probably. The party remains fun all night anyway!
Saturday night: Fundraiser party at Ridge and Church
A fundraiser party for a campus dance group starts off slowly until some big groups show up around 11. Drinks include the usual beer and jungle juice as well as the party’s gin and tonic-themed drink. Several partygoers play beer pong in the hallway while others dance in a room with an amateur DJ (who refuses to play Ke$ha and “Like a G6” more than 4 times…theater majors’ requests). At some point the toilet overflows, leading the apartment’s inhabitants to rescue it with a neighbor’s plunger. Meanwhile, a girl throws up in the bathtub, and another writes messages in shaving cream on the shower. The party is extremely crowded and eventually runs out of alcohol, but this doesn’t stop some guests from staying until 8 a.m.
