August brings sandal sales, back-to-school shopping, premature nostalgia for those warm July nights—and the start of another year of college traditions. We already brought you eight of the most infamous college traditions, but it turns out there are eight more equally legendary college customs. Wherever you're headed this fall, it's time to get excited for the best campus gatherings, parties, festivals, and troublemaking... University of Colorado Boulder: 4/20At Boulder, 4/20 is less of a tradition and more of a religion. On April 20th (4/20), over 10,000 students (and locals and out-of-towners…) gather in Norlin Quad to take a communal puff of marijuana at 4:20 pm. The reason for the celebration? We think it’s a three-way tie between protesting legalization, relaxing before finals, and getting some use out of the tie-dye shirts in the backs of closets. You have to admit, getting thousands of people to smoke pot at the same time and in the same location is impressive. Even for Colorado students.
Northwestern: Dilo DayIn the annual culmination of a month of spring ruckus-making, Northwestern's Dilo Day turns a Saturday on the Chicago lakefront into a concert-turned-party worthy of national recognition. Short for Armadillo Day--don't ask, I don't understand the name either--the Dilo festivities include a concert lineup that has recently featured A-list headliners like Regina Spektor, Guster, Nelly, Ben Folds, and The Roots. Local bands, free food, and a “state school for a day” mentality send NU students off to their summer vacations (and by ‘vacations’ we mean internships) with a bang. And who said Northwestern was the boring Big 10?!
Ohio University: HalloweenI know what you're thinking. "Halloween is a holiday, not a college tradition." Clearly you have never been to OU. Court Street—the infamous strip of bars, restaurants, and 24 hour parties—can barely contain the costumed masses; throughout the entire weekend (who are we kidding…week) leading up to October 31, almost every inch of communal space in Athens, Ohio is turned into a non-stop Halloween party. And let's just put it this way: the costumes are only half of the reason you won't be able to recognize your friends by the end of a night at OU.
Barnard College: Midnight BreakfastAt midnight on the eve of the first day of final exams every semester, Barnard College students (along with the rest of their Columbia classmates) pack LeFrak Gymnasium for a midnight breakfast of epic proportions. Barnard President Deborah Spar, deans, professors, administrators, and notable alumni serve the studying student body a (free) breakfast complete with fresh fruit, coffee, pancakes, eggs, doughnuts, and pastries. Oh, and author Anna Quindlen (class of ‘74) serves the bacon.
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