When Life Gives You Grapes, Make Wine: A rundown on the best party of the semester.
By Naiya PK
Halloweekend happens to be one of my favorite parts of the year. Last year, I was mildly disappointed by the parties (except for Tank haunted house–bring it back!). This year though, The Grape threw the best Halloween party of the weekend, which also served as an issue release party. Here’s what made it so great, so that all you party planners out there can follow suit and start putting the fun in functions…
The party began at 10, and people really began showing up in numbers around 10:30, after they hit up Tank’s Liquor Treat. This was a great starting point for the night, since people were already tipsy and ready to dance. I walked in and waded through the crowd to get to the bar setup, where I was stationed for the night.
I’ll set the scene: Lana Del Rey, Marina Abromovic, a vampire, and I, King Kylie, danced behind the bar while serving grape jello shots and vodka. Nearby, DJ Roxy Phantom and DJ Brock played an incredible set– hits and remixes from every decade got everyone to dance and display their fabulousness. Strobe lights swung their colors across the packed basement, illuminating all the different costumes. Upstairs people chatted and laughed, and outside people smoked and socialized, got lost and then found their friends again. Apparently there was even a fight outside…but that’s hearsay...
Marina and I were also judging the costume contest, and kept a running mental list of every iconic getup. Mental lists only go so far though when you have ingested infinite jello shots, so don’t take it personally if we loved your costume but forgot about you. Our winners are shown on page [insert page number], but there were a lot of really creative looks. Some that didn’t make the top but were great include: Mickey Mart bag, Sally Bowles and The Emcee, a few pirates, fairies and angels and devils (with creative additions), and a lot of genuinely weird but beautiful costumes where I couldn’t tell what they were referencing. To everyone who showed up in a thought out costume, you were stunning and made the night perfect.
At some point the swirling fumes of poppers, vapes, and asbestos got too intense and I had to step outside for a cigarette. The line to go up the stairs was backed up, converging with the staircase leading down from upstairs, while both lines got periodically shut off by a swinging door. It took 6 minutes and a lot of elbows to get out into the cool night air. Once outside, my friends and I felt the quiet of the street and became very tired. People’s smoke and conversation drifted towards us and mixed with ours; a cat ran through the bushes; a girl on ket threw up; the moon was nowhere to be seen. Other people out there were conglomerating by the door, making it seem impossible to get back inside. Everyone wanted to be part of the party. We finished smoking and on our way back in, Marina Abromovic and I took pictures of peoples’ costumes for the contest. Chatting with people gave us a second wind and we headed back to bartending.
All of the people I was with danced so hard that we lost track of time. When the party ended there were a lot of “what?”s and “already??”s, even though we had been there for hours. Time flies when you’re having fun! And every single person who went really did have fun. “That was the best party I’ve ever been to at Oberlin,” said a boy in a confusing costume. “I haven’t been to a party that well organized since my sophomore year, at the burning man party,” says a senior. “This was so lit,” said a girl with cat ears, and her friends echoed the statement, grinning widely.
I think what made this party so successful was the way it was organized, plus a little bit of magic. The DJs that played were amazing, with good music that had danceable beats, and they set the tone (literally) so that people stayed energized. Also, the speakers were at a loud enough volume to get lost in the music, which is rare at Oberlin parties. Another good thing was that most of the people who showed up were connected to the party planners, even if very distantly through a friend of a friend of a friend. This was great because people weren’t just sticking to their groups– everyone socialized outside of their bubbles, and the dance floor felt like a community. The most successful thing for this party was the setting: a large basement with no obstacles. Sure there was a pole or two, but compared to most of the other basements on campus it was very spacious– most have confusing layouts, or columns and poles that make dancing difficult. The bar and DJ booth were on the side of the room away from the stairs, so people filled the space in well without creating awkward pockets of emptiness.
The next morning I was so hungover that my head felt like an awkward pocket of emptiness, but it was worth it. If you had fun at this party, or if you missed out, and/or if you’re sexy and love to dance, stay in the loop for the next Grape party! XOXO.
P.S.A.
A few days after writing this article, I was informed that at the HawkTWOuh party on Saturday, two people were roofied. This is horrible and terrifying to hear, especially since Oberlin party culture has usually been safe. To keep yourself extra safe please watch your drinks, and don’t let them out of your sight. If a large party is using a communal supply of unattended alcohol, such as a bowl of punch, consider bringing your own drinks or not drinking at all. It’s scary to know that someone in this community is committing harm against others, and I hope that those who were affected are doing better. At parties please look out for yourself, your friends, and your peers.
