Hoptoberfest Celebrates Fall with Fun Activities and Music
The annual Hoptoberfest, organized by the Hopkins Student Organization for Programming (HOP), took place from October 23 to 25, 2025, offering a series of engaging activities that embraced the spirit of fall. The event kicked off with the lively Kickoff Fest, held across the Keyser and Wyman Quads, where students enjoyed carnival games, free food, and the chance to win prizes.
Long lines formed as students queued for free commemorative T-shirts and meal tickets under the iconic Gilman Hall. The food offerings included popular options from local vendors Ekiben and Nora’s Kabobs, which quickly ran out as attendees indulged in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Additional snacks, such as pretzels, cupcakes, and ice cream, were also available, enticing students to explore beyond the main event area.
The carnival atmosphere, marked by an eye-catching orange-and-black balloon arch, featured a variety of games where participants could earn tickets for exciting prizes. These included a mechanical bull ride, basketball shooting, and ring toss games. Many students opted for smaller prizes like building block sets, while a few braved the challenge of winning a Squishable toy.
In a statement to The News-Letter, HOP explained the selection process for Hoptoberfest activities. “Our activities list is decided by a group brainstorming session between the chairs and our committee,” they noted. “We usually have a lot of returning activities from years prior, but we also want to keep it fresh.” After compiling the list, they meet with their LEED advisor to secure approval for the activities.
The second day featured a spine-tingling haunted house at the Ralph S. O’Connor Recreation Center, entirely run by students. Participants eagerly waited to experience the thrills inside, where horror movie-inspired decorations and volunteers dressed as monsters delivered jump scares. After navigating the haunted corridors, students received free T-shirts and candy as a sweet conclusion to the frightful experience.
Freshman Amelia Joseph expressed her excitement about attending the haunted house for the first time. “It was nice that they were able to fit a huge variety of stuff into that limited amount of space,” she shared. “It was interesting to see the creative ideas that they came up with.”
The final day began with a festive Farm Day, where students checked in to receive green wristbands and snack tickets redeemable for seasonal treats like candy apples, donuts, and apple pie, complemented by apple cider. The day’s attractions included crafting stations for friendship bracelets, a petting zoo featuring bunnies and a camel, and a henna stall. Students also had the opportunity to pick their own pumpkins from the pumpkin patch.
Attendee Allison Farfan Martinez shared her thoughts on the final day’s offerings. “My favorite part was seeing all the animals or the henna! The bunnies were the cutest!” she said, also suggesting the addition of music for future events to enhance the atmosphere further.
As the day transitioned to evening, excitement built around the sold-out Hoptoberfest concert featuring renowned artist Khalid. Students danced to a DJ’s selections as they awaited the main act, who took the stage around 21:00, performing a selection of his most popular hits with a live band and backup dancers.
Traditions Committee Co-Chair for the HOP, Liam Parker, shared insights into the artist booking process. “Booking the artist was a process that took many months of labor and many different ideas of who we wanted,” he explained. “To see such a positive student response on who we ended up booking made us very happy.”
Despite the successes, organizing Hoptoberfest presented challenges for the HOP team, including communication hurdles and logistical issues. “Some challenges that we face with any event is tracking down different staff members and holding people accountable,” they noted. “Advice is always to start planning early, as the earlier vendors and others are reached out to, the less stressful it is closer to the event.”
With Hoptoberfest now concluded, the HOP will continue its Halloween celebrations with a costume competition at Levering Hall on October 31. The vibrant atmosphere and engaging activities demonstrated the HOP’s commitment to providing memorable experiences for the student body.
