Winterfest brings students a winter wonderland of fun
If you love winter and love having fun, but also want to stay on campus and have the opportunity to hang out with friends, then chances are you went to Winterfest last Saturday. Winterfest was an event on Feb. 4 that was hosted by four esteemed groups at Muhlenberg: the Muhlenberg Panhellenic Council, the Division of Stu- dent Affairs, the Muhlenberg Activities Council, and the Student Government Association. These groups did a terrific job of working together to organize and host this event in the hopes of providing their classmates with some winter-themed fun. Lasting for six hours (7 p.m. to 1 a.m.), Winterfest took place on the college’s front lawn and gave students a whole night of activities that were fun for anyone who wanted to partake in the event.
There were several exciting aspects of the event that the students could become engaged and interested in, such as low-cost games and even an “ice skating” rink! The rink was actually a floor that acted similarly to ice, and students were able to wear actual skates on this special surface. Meanwhile, there was a DJ that provided music, and many students were dancing along to their favorite songs to keep warm. A student who attended the festival, Emily Panetta ‘20, was very impressed by all of the available options for fun things to do, and commented, “I was not so sure that Winterfest would be as great as it was, and I did not expect for so many people to show up. [Winterfest] definitely went beyond my expectations and was really fun. I am very excited for when they do it again next year.”
While the music from the DJ was wonderful, if any- one preferred live music, then they were in luck. Later that night there were some amazing performances from every single one of the college’s outstanding a cappella groups! One member of the a cappella group Noteworthy, Jonathan Fleming ‘20, described what it was like to do a performance for the festival. “Everyone seemed to really love all of the songs and all of the groups, which was so great,” he said, “I hope that there will be more events like this in the future so that we can have more performances like this one.”
Despite all of this, there was still more to enjoy! In addition to all of the exciting activities and the a cappella shows, there was also some amazing food provided for the students, such as hot dogs, soft pretzel bites, and a nacho bar with ingredients that students could add themselves. Among the ingredients were different types of meat, refried beans, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. For dessert, there were s’mores pudding cups and make-your-own snowmen sugar cookies. Many students really enjoyed the opportunity to add frosting and candy to design their own sugary snowmen cookies. In terms of beverages, a wine and beer garden was available for all the students 21 and up, as well as hot chocolate for everyone.
Nisha Godbole ‘20, who also attended the festival, commented about how exciting every aspect of the night was, saying, “Even though it was so cold that night, all of the food and the cool games made the festival worth going outside. I especially liked the hot chocolate and those s’mores pudding cups. It was nice that they included that kind of stuff. Overall, it was cool to be there and to see so many other students having fun, too.”
The night may have been cold, but the warm hot chocolate and all of the activity of the night (such as dancing, singing, and skating) kept students warm enough to stay out all night on the front lawn and keep enjoying Winterfest. It was a great time to spend with friends and to do some things on campus that otherwise would not have been possible to do. Overall, Winterfest had a great turnout, with more and more students arriving throughout the night. If more events like Winterfest are scheduled in the future, there will without a doubt be several students ready to show up for more engaging games, delicious food, and entertaining music. Muhlenberg truly did give its students a winter wonderland in the form of Winterfest, and the students greatly appreciated it.
