Images of Nightfest
Photos by Tara Monastesse ‘25
By Emma Quirk ’26
Photos Editor & Staff Writer
Students enjoyed a silent disco, light-up games, Batch ice cream and more at Nightfest: Celebration Edition. Hosted on Sept. 7 by the Office of Student Involvement, students could participate in a dance party in Chapin Auditorium or a silent disco on the Abbey/Buck Green. Besides the music, there was a photo booth for taking pictures with friends and bags of kettle corn to snack on. Outside, there were LED ping pong tables and mini golf, as well as two food trucks, where students could choose between five flavors of Batch ice cream and three styles of grilled cheese sandwiches.
The night was planned by Julia Keane ’26, Student Government Association president, Justin Terlisner, coordinator of Student Involvement and Events in the Office of Student Involvement.
Kit Moore ’27, who got a spot job through OSI passing out bags of kettle corn to students inside Chapin, said that her “favorite part of the evening was definitely the silent disco.” Overall, she thought it was a nice start to the school year, stating that “It was so great to see everyone dance together and have a moment to just be with their friends again.”
Keane agreed. “It’s so fun when a good song comes on and you see everyone switching over to that playlist on their headphones so we can all collectively sing and dance to it,” she said.
This year, Nighfest was celebrating not only the new academic year, but a multitude of milestones and initiatives. These include American politician and former Mount Holyoke professor Shirley Chisholm’s 100th birthday, the 10th anniversary of Mount Holyoke’s transgender and gender-nonconforming inclusive admissions policy, the 10th anniversary of the residential Living-Learning Communities and the launch of the College’s new strategic plan, MHC Forward. Furthermore, the College wanted to create a space to honor students and build community.
Due to rain, the organizers were unsure how successful the turnout would be. However, they were pleasantly surprised.
“We ended up with a great turnout,” Keane said. “It was exciting seeing many students come out for what I think was a great event. I hope everyone had a joyful time celebrating the start of a new academic year.”
Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact-checking.