Students brought their own unique costumes and Halloween spirit to the Student Government Association and Karaoke Club’s annual Costume Karaoke, a tradition that has persisted for over five years.
This event brought a crowd of over 60 people to the Hive, located on the third floor of 618 S. Michigan Ave. on Tuesday evening, Oct. 27, with over 40 students signing up to perform.
The event kicked off right away with a line outside the door before it even started.
Michael Kowalkowski, SGA’s vice president of finance, said that performers were taking this event seriously.
“People don’t play about karaoke. The event started at 5 p.m., and people were already lining up way before,” said Kowalkowski, a double major in fine arts and arts and entertainment management. “They’d be like, ‘Hey, put me down for later because my partner is coming.’ I respect it.”
Karaoke Club treasurer Harrison Fleming said the energy in the room was exciting.
“Everyone’s giving their all, and everyone’s being supportive,” said Fleming, a sophomore film and television major. “There’s a ton of people who came, and I’m really excited for the night to keep going.”
Fleming said that with the event being a part of Columbia’s Wicked Week, and by collaborating with SGA, it helped put the event on a higher level than other Karaoke Club events, while also taking some of the work off their shoulders.
“This event was already a staple for the SGA and Karaoke Club,” Fleming said. “It was nice to not have to do as much as we normally have to do, because for Wicked Week events, you get a five hundred dollar grant, which is so crucial to putting this on.”
The event allowed students of any major to show off their singing skills.
First-year arts and entertainment management major Sunny Albizu said the event appealed to their musical theatre background.
“I love to sing. I will take any chance I get here at Columbia to sing my little heart out,” Albizu said.
Albizu wasn’t the only one excited to sing. Each performer owned the stage, bringing in choreography, belting out high notes, screaming to heavier songs and sometimes even bringing up guests.
The large audience showed their support for each performance with people clapping and singing along as they helped performers complete their duets.
Costume Karaoke is one of the many events during this year’s Wicked Week. Albizu said they’re trying to drop by as many events as they can.
“I feel like every day there’s a new event, and that makes me more excited to attend and explore everything Wicked Week has to offer,” Albizu said. “Me and my friends are planning our schedules around trying to do as many things as we can.”
Kowalkowski feels that Wicked Week offers a way for all Columbia students to celebrate Halloween without having to step too far out of their comfort zones.
“In Chicago, a lot of Halloween stuff is kind of cut off if you’re not 21, so I think it’s really exciting that the campus has a whole week’s worth of events that are on campus for students,” Kowalkowski said. “It helps bring the excitement into the campus for students who aren’t comfortable going out into the city to celebrate.”
Copy edited by Venus Tapang
