Welcome to the spookiest time of the year. Houses are draped in cobwebs, pumpkins are carved, and children roam the streets in costumes ranging from cute to scary. Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated each year on October 31, though according to the History Channel, it originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. People would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward away ghosts. The day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of dark, cold winter nights.

For OSU, Halloween represents the beginning of a new event created by the OSU Program Council (OSUPC), Hauntcert, and its annual Haunted MU event. The OSUPC, the MU Fun team, and the Residence Hall Association (RHA) have joined to bring students a weekend of fun by hosting a variety of Halloween inspired activities leading up to the annual Haunted MU and ending on Saturday with Hauntcert 2019. Hauntcert is a brand new music event put on by students, for students and will feature OSU’s top student DJs and the headliner, electronic music producer and DJ, Robotaki.

According to Connor Grover, OSUPC Music and Concerts Event Coordinator, the Hauntcert is a new event taking place November second at the MU Ballroom from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

“Hauntcert is on the Saturday of Halloween weekend, November 2,” said Grover. “ It will take place in the MU ballroom, 9pm-1am. Doors will open at 8pm and the concert entrance will be off of Jefferson St. Where the wheel chair accessible ramp is. On this night, bowling and billiards in the MU Basement will also be free to students, and there will be free spooky VR and classic video games in multipurpose room 13. The actual Hauntcert with Robotaki and student DJs is the only activities that student will need a ticket for.”

The Hauncert will be showcasing DJ Robotaki, who is known for his entertaining, playful music, along with the top three contenders in this year’s Battle of the DJs. 

“He plays fun, upbeat music that is very chill,”said Grover via email. “He has recently changed the production of his tour shows to be playing live instruments such as guitar, piano and drum pads, but due to finishing up his last tour and beginning to focus on the making of new music, he will be giving us a 1.5 hour DJ set.” 

Robotaki won’t be the only performer gracing the Hauntcert stage. OSU’s very own student DJs will be performing as the concert openers.

“I think this will be a very cool performance, because not only will we be getting his original music, but her will also play some special crowd favorites,” said Grover. “The student DJs in the event are the top 3 placers in this year’s Battle of the DJ’s. The first two openers are Slop Team Six (Nick Martin Varnum & Brendan Maloney Dunn) and Wannabe’s (Zachary Lewis & John Daraee). The direct support for Robotaki will be the Battle of the DJ’s winner and DAM JAM opener KOAV (Kevin Nguyen) who will also be accompanied by his friend Condor.”

According to Heather Rapp, OSUPC and Late Night Program Coordinator, it is important for OSU to provide fun events and give its students a chance to do something fun on campus. 

“Halloween is always celebrated well at Oregon State University,” Rapp said. “We want to offer substance free programming for students who want to enjoy themselves on campus with other students.” 

The Haunted MU is sure to be a scream, with events taking place Thursday, Friday and Saturday on campus. According to Joshua Ramos, one of the Special Events Coordinators for OSUPC, The events will start Thursday with Haunted Hangouts at the MU Lounge from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. which will include a virtual reality station, face painting, food and a tarot card reading. There will also be free bowling, arts and crafts, horse drawn carriage rides, a silent disco and the Haunted Maze, also known as the Haunted House in the MU Ballroom. On Friday, students can expect an Illusionist Show featuring Russ Peak, free bowling, slime making, crafts, another silent disco, and The Haunted House. Saturday will close the weekend of Halloween fun with the Hauncert, free bowling, and spooky VR and games. 

All events are free for students to attend but a ticket is required for the Hauntcert. Tickets are free for students and $15 for the public. Students can register for Hauntcert tickets on the OSUPC website, link can be found on the Facebook event description and on the OSUPC Instagram bio (@osupc).