Whether it’s the chilly breezes, darker days or the sudden ability to wear jeans again — there’s magic in the air and trouble brewing around the corner. So lace up your boots, put on your headphones and listen to this witchy playlist to find out whether supernatural forces are at play at UT this fall.
Tag Archives: halloween
5 DIY Austin-Inspired Halloween Costumes
Halloween is just around the corner and if you’re anything like most college students, you’re looking for a last-minute costume idea right about now. You could go basic— maybe a witch or a ghost?
No! Austin is full of unique, fun inspirations that you can easily convert into an amazing costume. Here are five ideas you can make at home.
1. Bat
Why: Austin is famous for the 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. It’s the largest urban bat colony in the world. So, what better way is there to celebrate our winged friends than dressing up as them on Halloween night (and donating to help them)?
What you need: An all-black outfit with a set of wings. If you can’t find any convincing bat wings at the store, you can make your own.
2. Tourist
Why: More than 30 million tourists visit Austin every year and they aren’t hard to spot. You can use Halloween to connect with your inner tourist and have some fun.
What you need: A pair of too-hot-for-Texas jeans, a UT or “Keep Austin Weird” shirt and a fake sunburn. Bonus points if you show up on a Lime scooter or with an Austin map and Austin City Limits pass.
3. Violet Crown
Why: Did you know the color of the west hills and sky during sunset have been called Austin’s “violet crown?” You can pay homage to this idealistic view and make a simple, punny halloween costume out of it.
What you need: An all violet outfit and a crown or tiara.
4. Domino
Why: Domino is amongst the most loved felines in all of Austin. He freely roams the UT campus and has belly scratches and food galore at his paw-tips. Honestly, who wouldn’t want to be him?
What you need: Some black and white clothes, drawn-on whiskers and a pair of cat ears.
5. Jo’s Coffee “I love you so much” mural
Why: This is an iconic SoCo spot. You see recreations of it on mugs, socks and ornaments throughout Austin. So, why not a Halloween costume?
What you need: A light green shirt, a red sharpie and the ability to write in cursive.
No matter what you dress up as for Halloween, Austin is a great place to celebrate the holiday. So, go forward and have a safe and fun Halloween!
Costume Party Ideas for the Halloween Season
Halloween is just around the corner, so costume parties are in season. To help you start planning your costumes, I put together different party theme ideas to get into the Halloween spirit.
Western-Themed
As a Texan school, a western-themed party could double up as a Halloween and post-football game event. A gingham patterned top, jean shorts or flared pants, bandana, boots and a cowboy hat is all that’s needed to pull this look together. Most students probably have cowboy boots already, but if not, pairs can be found at thrift stores. Cowboy hats — the staple piece of this costume — are available for under $15 at Party City in an array of colors. To make costumes more unique, turn this idea into a girly cowgirl party, adding in glittery pieces.
Top Spotify Artists
As seen recently on TikTok, dressing up as your top Spotify artist allows you to show your love for the artist and recreate popular music videos all at the same time. From Taylor Swift to Doja Cat, there’s a different artist out there for everyone to share their taste in music. If multiple people jam out to the same top artist, a fun twist could be dressing up as the same musician in their different eras. For example, Taylor Swift could have her own themed party, with everyone recreating different albums, such as “Reputation” or “Lover.”
Favorite Disney Villains
A more unique angle on a costume party could be dressing up as a Disney villain. Often overlooked, these characters have their own outfits and demeanors to pull off. Though a Disney princesses party would also be cute, taking inspiration from villains would create an exciting challenge. Another idea is pairing up with a friend to feature a princess/villain duo.
First Letter of Your Name
The most flexible costume idea so far, this party would allow for a lot of brainstorming and surprises when you arrive in another costume others didn’t think of. Partygoers would only need to think of people, characters or objects that start with the first letter of their first name and show up dressed up and ready to see people’s reactions. For example, since my name starts with an S, I could show up as a skeleton, Snow White or even Shrek. Similar to the video above, this party would make for a fun TikTok to include everyone in.
Iconic Groups
This party idea also offers a vast range of options to choose from. Iconic group ideas include the Victorious friend group, Friends, the Kardashian family, Mean Girls, the Powerpuff Girls and Marvel superheroes. The only foreseeable problem could be fighting over who gets to dress up as who, but this costume could build communication between friends and would be fun to see come together.
Whether or not you love celebrating Halloween, costumes are always a great way to spice up regular parties and add excitement for those attending. Start planning outfits and get in the Spooky Season mood!
Why “Over the Garden Wall” Should Be On Your Fall Watchlist
As we ease into the fall season, there’s nothing better than cozying up on a chilly night to watch your favorite movie or television show. While most of us will watch Coraline, Harry Potter or Gilmore Girls, I think a new TV show should be added to your fall watchlist: Over the Garden Wall. Even though it came out in 2014, it is still relevant today to UT students looking for a fall go-to show.
“Watching Over the Garden Wall felt like walking outside on a crisp fall day and stepping on crunchy leaves. The colors and music were perfect for the fall season,” said Melanie Chapman, freshman civil engineering student.
If you’re still on the fence about watching the show, here are five reasons why Over the Garden Wall is a perfect fall watch:
1. Soundtrack
Reminiscent of pre-1950s jazz and folk, the Over the Garden Wall soundtrack is a mix of warm melodies and showtune-esque songs. Each song will have you singing along or running to add it to your fall playlist — or maybe both!
2. Characters
The characters in Over the Garden Wall are easily the best part of the show. Overly anxious Wirt and his naive step brother, Greg, make a hilarious and heartwarming pair. The show is filled with so many memorable characters. Pumpkin people, frogs in 1920s attire and a heartbroken school teacher are just a few of the eccentric characters in the show.
3. Length
Over the Garden Wall is the perfect length for binge watchers and casual watchers alike. Each episode is only 10 minutes long, so the total run time for the series is only an hour and forty minutes. Whether you binge the whole series at once or watch an episode in between classes, Over the Garden Wall does not disappoint!
4. Plot
Set in a mysterious forest called the Unknown, Over the Garden Wall follows two brothers on their journey to escape the forest while avoiding the ominous beast that stalks the two on their adventure. The pair is accompanied by a talking bluebird who helps guide them to a woman who can help them get back home, but as they move through the forest things aren’t as they seem.
5. Fall Themes
Over the Garden Wall feels like a warm drink on a chilly night. The show is able to balance a very lighthearted, whimsical theme with mysterious and dark undertones. Beautiful colors and picturesque scenery also adorn the show— perfect for the fall season.
Overall, Over the Garden Wall is a beautiful, heartwarming show that needs to be on your watchlist! The soundtrack, characters, length, plot and fall themes have earned the show its place amongst staple fall watches. Want some more fall show recommendations? Check out our recent Instagram post!
Featured image courtesy of Over the Garden Wall, S1 E1 on Hulu
Spooky season go-to’s in Austin
As Halloween rolls around, spooky season is finally among us. This is a great time to celebrate with different activities in Austin that will only be open for a limited time.
Haunted ATX
What better time to listen to ghost stories and visit paranormal locations than now? Haunted ATX is a mobile ghost tour in Austin that takes you in a van to haunted locations in Austin. Some of the spooky locations on the tours are the Tavern, Clay Pit and Littlefield House.
Public tours cost $59 per person during October and private tours cost $99 per person. Most tours are available Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m. These tours are usually three hours long and allow everyone to explore the locations while learning about their paranormal history.
House of Torment Haunted House
Haunted houses are the most iconic spooky season activity. Austin happens to have one of the best haunted houses in the country. With the “Travel channel” calling Austin’s House of Torment, “the scariest haunted house in America,” there is no better place to celebrate Halloween than this haunted house.
There are three themed haunted houses that you can go through to get spooked. You can also participate in axe throwing, mini escape games and dine at their tavern.
This haunted house is open almost every day in October, with the first two weekends of November being the last time for the year you can go. General admission ticket prices range $22.99 to $32.99, depending on the day you attend.
Mama Mary’s Farm and Pumpkin Patch
Not everyone who wants to celebrate spooky season likes to be scared. One non-scary activity you can do is visit a pumpkin patch. Mama Mary’s Farm and Pumpkin Patch is open through Oct. 31. You can go Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for only $5 plus tax. To go on Saturdays and Sundays, registration is required before and tickets go up to $10.
If you go to the pumpkin patch on the weekend, you can enjoy a hay ride, outdoor bowling, pumpkin painting and other fall-themed activities. This is a great event for friends to take pictures together in the pumpkin patch and get in the spooky season mood.
Pumpkin Nights at Pioneer Farms
Another non-scary activity to participate in this spooky season is going to Pumpkin Nights at Pioneer Farms. You can explore a trail that features carved pumpkins created by local artists that all have different themes.
There are pumpkin lanterns that make great photo backgrounds for Instagram. Not only do you get to see elaborate, professionally carved pumpkins; there are also live fire dancers and you can watch professionals carve pumpkins live.
Friday through Saturday admission for adults is $23 and on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday it is $18.
There are plenty of events in Austin to celebrate the spooky season. Even if you aren’t a big fan of the creepy and scary things this time of season brings, there are plenty of other activities you can partake in to get into the spooky season mood. After a ton of events being cancelled the past year because of the pandemic, this is a great time to go out and celebrate the season.
Feature image by Pexels