Last week SUNY New Paltz held a variety of Halloween festivities that brought students and local residents together in celebration of the spooky season. From music shows by bands in costume to painting pumpkins on Parker Quad, the festivities on campus were as colorful as the season.
Halloween in the Halls by Sophia Maltzman
On Oct. 27, the dormitories in Parker Quad held their annual trick-or-treating event Halloween in the Halls. From 12 – 3 p.m., select residence halls opened their doors to more than just students. Local families wandered the halls, knocking on the doors of residents who chose to participate. Students eagerly greeted local kids, handing out candy provided by the Residence Life staff and each building’s hall government.
Second-year education major Grace Devine participated in the event and described it as a wholesome experience. “Trick-or-treating was my favorite part about Halloween when I was a kid,” Devine said. “I think it’s really sweet being on the other end of that experience.”
Children passed through the school dressed in creative costumes, from Chicken Little to the Fantastic Mr. Fox. Each costume added to the abundance of Halloween spirit that coursed through campus. For the afternoon, students and locals enjoyed a head start on their trick-or-treating and left with buckets full of candy.
Halloween Painting by Sophia Maltzman
The festivities on Parker Quad continued on Oct. 30 with the New Paltz Dance Team hosting a Halloween-themed painting event. The weather was beautiful as the event fell on one of October’s warmest days. Participants filled the quad with music and chatter, drawing in passing students for the event.
Vibrant acrylic paints, fresh brushes, blank canvases and pumpkin-shaped wooden cutouts scattered across picnic tables. Students painted beside one another with their paintings done in different styles, from cartoonish images of Snoopy and Woodstock to realistic landscapes of the New Paltz mountains during peak foliage. Many students created quirky artwork that displayed the Halloween spirit.
The New Paltz Dance Team fueled creativity with candy, offering a mix of different chocolate treats to everyone who came. Hosted on the tail end of midterms for many students, the opportunity to paint, socialize and celebrate the holiday came as a much-welcomed break. The event served as a creative outlet that left attendants feeling rejuvenated. Students remained painting in the quad on blankets and at picnic tables even after the event’s official end.
Halloween Concerts by Alyssa Sciarrone
The Halloween spirit was alive and well in the music scene of New Paltz this year. Almost every day of the week from Oct. 25 — Nov. 2 had a show either at a bar, a house venue or on campus.
The Lemon Squeeze hosted a Halloween Party on Oct. 26 with live music and a costume contest presented by Dos Hombres, an artisanal Mezcal brand. The performance featured Carlin and the Gents, a seven-piece Hudson Valley funk and pop band and Wickham Falls, a New York indie-rock band, who started the night in cowboy costumes.
Carlin and the Gents, dressed as various characters from the Super Mario franchise, performed a mix of original music and covers to celebrate the occasion. Their originals such as “San Diego” and “I Don’t Fake Laugh” will be on their first EP to be released later this year.
On Oct. 31, the local Hudson Valley band What? hosted their annual Halloween show, Hallowsteen IV at Snug Harbor. Named Hallowsteen after the band’s guitarist Dan Steen, the theme of the fourth Hallowsteen event was Shrek. Each member of the six-piece band dressed as their version of the green ogre.
What? performed three sets throughout the night. The first and third were a mix of originals and cover songs, while the second was songs from the Shrek movies’ discographies. The crowd went wild for “I’m A Believer” and “Welcome to Duloc.” The set ended with Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,” which the band confirmed as canonically part of the Shrek universe with a 2011 short released by DreamWorks “Shrek: Thriller Nights.”
On Nov. 1, new house venue The Exotic Emporium debuted its first show with No Momentum, Voicemail, Dumpcake and Meowgirl, a combination of the members of Meow Meow and YANKEEGIRL. The Exotic Emporium is run by the same collective of people who previously ran shows at The Hog House from 2022 – 2023 and a pop-up show at The Doll House on April 6.
On Nov. 2, another house venue Nebraska ended Halloweekend two with performances by Kill Your Darlings, Emerson Laura Palmer and Gunk. For Gunk this was the long-awaited return of Grungebob, a set consisting of only songs from Spongebob. After their first performance as the Bikini Bottomites at The Outhouse, a former house venue, the band has been eager to return and plans to return as the beloved Spongebob characters next year.
Hallokween by Leslie Urena
On Oct. 25, the New Paltz Drag Collective hosted its annual “Hallokween” drag show in the Student Union Building. This show is most anticipated by members and show-goers alike, not only for its Halloween theme but because it is the first show the collective hosts each year.
The show is meticulously planned. Performances are submitted, reviewed and worked on at dress rehearsals leading up to the event. Though everyone works together, performers can still be creative and independent in crafting their routines. The hard work of all involved was evident in the show.
The Collective encouraged attendees to dress up for the event and many did. This year, the audience turnout was more than originally anticipated. “We actually filled the entire room,” said club secretary Tiffany Evangelis, who performed two pieces at the show. “There were all these chairs in this closet, and we used every single chair. People were sitting on tables in the back, sitting on the floor. I was so shocked. This is at least the most I’ve seen. It was absolutely amazing.”
Overall, Hallokween 2024 was a massive success for the Drag Collective. “I think it was amazing. I think the impression was amazing,” Evangelis said.