Columbia’s annual Wicked Week officially begins on Monday, Oct. 27, and will last through Friday, Oct 31. Clubs and organizations across Columbia have planned more than 20 events throughout the week to bring together the campus community and celebrate spooky season.
Student Programming and Activities is responsible for organizing Wicked Week each year, and chose the theme of “Mystery Manor” inspired by the board game “Clue” for the 2025 festivities.
SPA programming intern Melaina Laurent, a senior film and television major, said that she’s never seen a “classic who-done-it, murder mystery, true crime,” Wicked Week theme before.
While some decorations have been put up in the Student Center during previous Wicked Weeks, Laurent said that there had been years she didn’t even know what the theme was, so she was inspired to change that.
This year, the first floor of the Student Center building will become a “visual hub” for the theme by being transformed into its own mystery manor with decorations from both SPA and other student organizations on campus.
Laurent said that Wicked Week gives students a “very fun lead up” to Halloween, and that she hopes the activities going on help provide a little break from the stress of midterms.
There are always a variety of events throughout Wicked Week, but this year, Laurent wanted to “focus on the quality instead of quantity of events.”
Here are five events – one on each day of the week – that students can attend to celebrate spooky season and get involved on campus.
Monday: Game Jam Kick-Off, hosted by Game Forge
The “Game Jam” event will kick off on Monday at 4 p.m. in room 314 at the Student Center. During the event, a central theme will be announced to be the foundation of a week-long game design project.
Students will be paired off into teams and will work together to build their board or video games over the course of Wicked Week. By Friday, students will be left with complete and professional products that they can show not only to their friends, but also to potential employers as well.
“It’s a great way to just build the community and further people’s portfolios at the same time,” said Jameson Sparks, a first-year game design major.
All students are encouraged to come to the event to collaborate and contribute their creative skills, not just those with prior knowledge and experience in game design.
“Even if you don’t make games exactly; if you do art, if you make music, – you’re gonna find a team,” Sparks said.
Tuesday: Cosplay Masquerade, hosted by Japanese Anime and Manga Club
The Japanese Anime and Manga Club will be hosting a “Cosplay Masquerade” where students will be showcasing their cosplays, skits and musical performances.
The event will be on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the first floor of the 1104 S. Wabash building, and participants have the opportunity to win prizes.
Jacob Loizzo, president of the club and a senior creative writing major, said the club has been putting on a similar event during Wicked Week over the past couple of years, and it’s now become tradition to do one in October and another at the C3Expo in the spring.
He explained that the cosplay contest idea began under previous club leaders who had a passion for the craft but no place to display their work, so they made one that all Columbia students could participate in.
Loizzo said that the club is still accepting contest participant applications, but that everyone is encouraged to come see the show.
“I’m most excited to see the craftsmanship on display,” Loizzo said. “You can really see the heart and soul that’s been poured into the props and clothes, and the passion people have for it and how happy they are to show their work.”
Wednesday: Costume Dodgeball, hosted by Renegades Quadball
“Costume Dodgeball” makes a return to the East-West University gym on Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. after a year-long hiatus.
Students are invited to dress up and compete in a five vs. five tournament. Either by themselves or with their own teams, students are guaranteed at least two matches in the upper and lower level knock-out brackets. Finalists of the brackets will be awarded gold and silver trophies, respectively.
Brady Charles, a member of the Renegades Quadball team, said that this event has been popular in the past as it brings a bit more fun to the nostalgic grade-school gym class activity.
“Dodgeball is a game that a lot of people grew up playing and having a good time, so we try to bring that back for a night,” said the junior marketing and sports management major.
Thursday: Drag Show — Who Dunnit, Diva? Hosted by SPB
The Student Programming Board will be hosting its ninth annual drag show, titled “Who Dunnit, Diva?” on Oct. 30. The show will be held on the fifth floor of the Student Center, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and performances starting at 7 p.m.
Since its founding in 2016, the drag show has gained popularity among students, even becoming the SPB’s biggest event of the fall semester.
The event opens up an opportunity for four of Columbia’s own students to perform alongside four professional queens.
Charlotte Johnson, the director of finance for SPB and a junior music business major, said that she is looking forward to seeing this year’s turnout.
“The drag show always has such great vibes around it because everyone comes in costume,” said Johnson. “It’s fun to see the creativity of people’s costumes and what they wear, and then seeing our own students on stage.”
Friday: Murder Mystery Party and Escape Room, hosted by ASL Club
On Friday, the ASL Club invites students to “Sign and Dine” at their mystery escape room party. The event will take place between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the ASL Center on the fourth floor of the 33 E Ida B. Wells building, which will be converted into an escape room.
Alice Jerome, a sophomore ASL-English Interpretation major, said that the club was dedicated to coming up with an event that would not only be Halloween-themed but also offer an accessible opportunity.
They explained that this escape room is unique, as it is hosted in a “sign-only” space at Columbia – meaning people are expected to turn off their voices and communicate via sign language as long as they are in the room.
The added “stress” of an escape room will help to stretch everyone’s signing skills, Jerome said, but they assured that participants of all signing levels are welcome to attend and learn a bit more about ASL, and everyone is encouraged to show up in costume.
Jerome said they are looking forward to seeing both familiar and new faces at the event, as well as “the different reactions to the things we have planned.”
Also on Friday, the Chronicle is welcoming trick-or-treaters to the newsroom on the second floor of the 33 E. Ida B. Wells building. The staff will be handing out candy and awarding prizes for the best costumes.
Copy edited by Vanessa Orozco
