Celebrating Halloween the Arcadia Way

After being at home and remote for the fall semester of my first year, I was eager to spend my favorite season on campus in a new environment. I couldn’t wait for fall to come, between the chilly weather, fall sports, pumpkin carving, apple picking—and Halloween, especially the Arcadia way. 

Throughout the semester, Arcadia hosts fun activities correlating with the time of year, and Halloween is no exception. One of the coolest things about Arcadia is the Castle, and Halloween is the perfect time to showcase it. For example, ghost tours highlight the Castle’s historic roots and leave you wondering about the lives of those who lived here before. 

The Society for Castle Restoration also transforms the Castle every year into a haunted castle. This event, open to the public, is held at the end of October and was well worth experiencing to get into the Halloween spirit. We were escorted in small groups into the Castle and made our way through the themed rooms. Some of my favorite rooms were the Beetlejuice room, where the members of the club warded off Beetlejuice as we sat around a table; the Cinderella room, where we watched a ballroom scene hexed with spells; and a room playing on the idea of Into the Woodsm with characters like Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. Though it wasn’t frightening, apart from a few jump scares, it was a fun experience that made me more excited for Halloween. 

 
KnightLife also featured plenty of spooky events as the time ticked closer to Halloween, such as showing thrillers and horror movies on Haber Green. One of the most anticipated events is the Rocky Horror Picture Show performance hosted by the Honors program. From the late hours of the night into the next morning, the Honors program went all out to put on a show that’s an Arcadia classic. 

Everything about the show was over the top, but in a way that made Rocky Horror a great experience, from the crowd dressing up to the actors being able to portray their roles using mainly gestures and their eyes due to the masks. It was also interactive. We participated in dancing, talking, and calling out. Two students were even brought on stage. 

The fall experience at Arcadia is like no other, and I’ll be counting down the days until next year.