Bradley University embraced the Halloween spirit with a themed Late Night BU on Oct. 11 from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Late Night BU, a semi monthly event, often features activities that align with that time of year. The first Late Night BU in August featured back to school activities, while October’s event incorporated Halloween themed experiences like an escape room, a psychic reading, pumpkin painting and a costume contest.

One of the staples of Late Night BU is the arts and crafts activity, usually centered around the theme. For October, students could decorate tote bags, a favorite of Bradley student Natalie Warren. “I enjoyed the activities,” Warren said. “The tote bags were fun, and the stencils helped to make the bags look nice.”

In addition to Halloween themed events, Late Night BU featured activities that evoked a broader fall vibe, with options that felt like a trip to an apple orchard. “My favorite event was fishing through the corn for the squishy little toys,” Warren shared, adding that the simple, nostalgic activities contributed to the experience. Natalie is not the only participant that enjoyed the smaller activities.

Another popular attraction was the psychic reading, which proved to be a major draw. “My favorite event was the psychic reading,” said Jay Dove, another Bradley student. Clearly, Dove was not the only person interested in the psychic reader. “The line took two hours to get through,” said Dove. Late Night BU seems to have done a good job getting events people are interested in participating in. “It was a cool experience and my reader said some very accurate things,” said Dove.

Dove was especially interested in the psychic reading. “I only participated in the psychic reading but it was super cool,” said Dove. They had some previous experiences with psychic readings, which likely helped to further their interest in the event. “I do tarot readings so it was super interesting to get my reading done by a professional,” said Jay. Late Night BU also did an excellent job with the setting of the psychic reader, helping to add to the mystical feel of the event. “The room had a nice, calm vibe,” said Jay. “The lights were off but they had candles and fairy lights around and relaxing music playing.”

The highlight of the evening was the costume contest, with twenty participants competing for a bluetooth speaker and a $50 dollar Amazon gift card. The contestants were posted on the Late Night BU Instagram page, where the followers of the page were able to vote on the costumes they liked the most. The total contest featured a large variety of costumes with all different inspirations. The five finalists were no different. One of the costumes was a cat, complete with ears and a tail. Another finalist was dressed as the Norse god Loki, featuring golden horns. The next finalist was a nun, with a suitcase and a necklace. The next finalist was a steampunk style angel, complete with wings made of gears and mechanics. 

The contest winner was Julia Hunt, who dressed up as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. The costume featured a blue dress, very similar to the one from the movie, as well as a small basket and a stuffed dog, which represented the movie’s dog, Toto. Natalie Warren agreed with the public’s decision, stating, “My favorite costume was definitely Julia as Dorothy.”

Late Night BU has been an effort by the University to host fun activities for its students for years. With a variety of seasonal activities, Late Night BU successfully brought students into the Halloween spirit, adding excitement to campus life as the holiday approaches.