Last Friday night, Nite Life held its fall Masquerade formal at the Frederik Meijer Gardens. Students dressed up in formalwear and masks for Nite Life’s third event of the semester.

Nite Life has organized a fall formal for the past four years, but this was the first time it didn’t take place in Calvin’s Spoelhof Fieldhouse.

“It was decided to have the Masquerade at Frederik Meijer Gardens this year so that the formal could have a different design,” said senior Destiny Nobles, a weekend programming intern. “The formal has always been a success, but after the Gatsby formal in the spring last year, we really wanted to make this an off-campus event.”

Many students approved of the decision to have the Masquerade at the Frederik Meijer Gardens.

“It’s such a beautiful setting here at the Gardens for a dance,” said first-year student Blair Coats. “The decorations are great. They create the perfect atmosphere to meet people.”

“I’m so glad that Calvin had the Masquerade at the Gardens,” said Jenny Hartstein, a senior. “It’s such a great setting for this event.”

Formal wear and a mask were required for students to gain admittance to the Masquerade. The event was a hit with students like first-year Abigail Franz and sophomore Page Wichtowski.

“It’s really fun to not be able to tell who people are,” said Franz. “You have to figure out who’s who. It’s also nice to see everyone all dressed up.”

“It’s been a good way to relieve the stress of the semester,” said Wichtowski. “It’s also great that I get to re-wear a dress.”

Nite Life originally had 600 tickets for sale, but they later purchased a larger section at the gardens after selling out in two days. The additional 250 tickets sold out within a week. As part of the Masquerade theme, student senate had masks available for students to buy.

“I really like the Masquerade theme,” said Hartstein. “I think that it made for a good turnout.”

“I think the event was a success,” said Nobles. “It was all over social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so there were a lot of people that knew about it.”

Nite Life had a scavenger hunt for students to work on as they explored Frederik Meijer Gardens.

“The scavenger hunt is impossible,” said freshman Chris Lemoine. “But it’s been a lot of fun.”

“I didn’t realize how cool the Gardens were,” said Kat Frndak, a first-year student. “They’re awesome to explore. It’s the perfect place for this.”

Nobles was pleased with the turnout of for the event.

“I’m really glad that everyone seemed to have fun with the Masquerade,” commented Nobles. “It’s a great event to enjoy with your friends and your floor.”

“It’s great to get to go to events like this during my senior year,” Hartstein said. “It’s nice to be able to hang out with all my Calvin friends.”