Students gathered in the courtyard of University Park masked and in formal attire to attend the Yacht Club’s Venetian Masquerade on Friday, Feb. 7.
According to senior communications major and Yacht Club planning committee member Bethany Weil, the masquerade is an annual event and an opportunity for students to get dressed up.
Freshman business economics major Zach Thomas described the event as “casual, yet sophisticated and elegant, yet enjoyable.”
The event had a $2 entry fee for non-UP residents. All proceeds from the night went to the Belwop House Project.
According to Weil, the Belwop House is a charity that raises money to help build orphanages in Africa. The project was started by APU alumni.
In addition to live music and Italian food and drinks, attendees participated in mask-making, magic shows and portrait painting. Some even joined in on speed-friending and henna tattoos.
“[The masquerade] was way better than what I expected,” freshman communication studies major Kellie Bode said. “The music was definitely my favorite part.”
According to junior nursing major and Yacht Club planning committee member Ellie Rudolph, the masquerade was originally scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6, but was delayed until Friday due to rain. The event was planned by Weil, Rudolph and Hannah Warren, who are all resident advisors in UP.
“I appreciated that this year didn’t have the ‘been there, done that’ feel to it,” sophomore English major Alaine Koster said. “They were able to make it new and exciting, which can be hard to do with this event.”
In the past, Yacht Club has taken place in the middle of fall semester. The date was moved to spring semester this year due to a conflict with the University Village’s Moroccan Market Villagio.
According to Weil, the change was a great way for freshmen to deepen their friendships without the chaos of meeting new people.
“It is so cool to see everyone here and enjoying it,” Rudolph said. “It was a lot of work today, and there were times I was ready to be done, but all the extra work made it worth it.”