Students Celebrate Winter Weekend

Jan 24, 2024
Two students stand in front of a table decorated with black and white penguin plushies, stickers, white socks, and heart-shaped pins. This is for Winter Weekend on campus, where students could make their own winter survival kits for the cold weather.

Various prizes such as plushies, stickers, and pins, were handed out during the weekend.

Westfield State’s Winter Weekend event offered students a variety of activities to celebrate the spirit of winter in New England during their first full weekend back on campus for the Spring 2024 semester. The “Winter Wonderland” festivities kicked off on Thursday, with a Grab & Go Car event hosted in the Commuter Lounge and Catherine Dower Center respectively.

This event helped students prepare for blustery weather as they packed their own survival kits filled with essentials such as blankets and snacks.

Later that evening, Daniel Martin, prolific magician and illusionist, provided entertainment on recently reopened Dever Stage in Parenzo Hall. Martin’s most notable achievements include being featured on “Now You See It”, a television show on BBC which highlights up and coming magicians in addition to being awarded Best Variety Artist, Best Male Performer, and Entertainer of the Year award.

Celebrations picked up again on Friday night with Winter Bingo, which is always a campus favorite.

On Saturday, students could go ice skating on a faux rink established near the Dining Commonswhich provided the perfect view of  the fresh dusting of snow and ice on campus. When students needed to warm up, they could head into the  Dining Commons to climb into  a giant, inflatable snow globe for pictures.

Four students, all young men, sit inside a giant, inflatable snow globe as part of the campus' Winter Weekend. One student wears sunglasses while another wears a hat, and they're all smiling in front of the snowman decoration inside the globe.
The giant, inflatable snow globe. 
Two young women serve colorful cocktails in the Dining Commons. The table they're at are decorate with blue and white snowflakes, and they are standing in the middle of the Dining Commons.
Mocktails!
The faux ice-skating rink available for students during the weekend festivities. A woman student in a black coat, peach scarf, blue hat, and navy blue skates glides on top of the fake ice.
The faux rink.

Saturday’s fun culminated in the Winter Carnival, which featured food, mocktails, and music. Games such as life-size pool played with colored soccer balls gave students a chance to win penguin plushies.

“On Friday for Winter Bingo, we had over 100 people show up and participate,” noted Austin Morgan, member of Campus Board Activities. “On Saturday, we had over 150 combined for the two events. They both were well attended and well received by the students on campus. Students approached us asking for more frequent events that had those small gift bag type items with practical things inside. My favorite part was the hot cocoa stand.”

Winter Weekend drew to a close with a Movie Marathon and Cookie Decorating evening, ending the campus celebratory weekend with everyone in high spirits.