For many, Halloween is a time to dress up as a pop culture reference, go trick-or-treating (if you’re not too old) and maybe watch a few scary movies as an excuse to cuddle up to that special someone. For many UVU students, Halloween means Insomnia— a large-scale, Halloween-themed dance party.
Before the doors open at 9 PM, students start to wait in an ever expanding line to get inside, and as the line gets longer, so does the students anticipation. With lines like that, a good night is already expected.
Once inside the venue, the mass of people appears to be even than the line anxiously waiting to get in. A few people dressed as Post Malone can be seen, as well as an inflatable dinosaur. Group costumes and couple costumes are in abundance, and various pop culture references cannot be avoided. The swelling bass shakes the entire UCCU Center, and people are jumping up and down and dancing to the beats that the grammy award nominee, DJ Shawn Phillips, is dropping.
Through the course of the night, thousands of students continued to join the party, making the dance an unforgettable Halloween for everyone there.
This is Insomnia.
Travis Knight, a senior an annual attendee of the Insomnia dance, attends every year because “it’s just a good dance to hang out with friends and to get to know new people and have fun.”
Many who attend Insomnia have attended in previous years, but there were several first-timers, including freshman, Kayla Gibson, who said, “I loved it, it was tons of fun! The music was amazing and the environment there was super positive.”
Gibson mentioned the lengthy lines saying, “Though the lines were a little confusing and hard to follow, once I got inside I already knew it was going to be a blast.” This statement seemed to be the thought many other people had.
But However, the lengthy lines didn’t seem to get in the way of people having the time of their lives.
Such a large scale event as Insomnia takes thorough and detailed planning. With planning starting months in advance, event organizers have to consider details in several aspects of the event —financial, safety, entertainment — in order to make the event spectacular and ensure the safety of those in attendance.
Shayla Shaw Northcott, the Vice President of Student Activities for the UVU Student Association said, “several things go into planning of such an event… hiring security, contracting a DJ, meeting with the UCCU Center, and a large scale marketing plan.”kid
In the weeks leading up to the event, there were several promotions daily — including low-priced presale tickets — to ensure Insomnia would be a fun time for all and have a successful turnout. 2,530 pre-sale tickets were sold, and there was said to be an expected turnout of 4,000 attendants. At the end of the night, there was a record attendance of 4,701 people!
With student feedback and continual student involvement, it’s safe to say that UVU’s annual Halloween dance will only get bigger and better as the years go on. The costumes every year may change, but the fun experiences people have will stay the same.
