What to expect when you’re Halloween-ing: Durham Edition

With Halloween almost here (why is it on a Monday ew), spooky season is on everyone’s mind. From what costume to wear to trying to find the same tickets your housemates have, everyone wants the night to be a big one.

So whether you’re a silly fresh or a seasoned Jimmy’s vet, here is your ultimate rundown guide of Halloween in Durham so you can (hopefully) not get it wrong.

6:30pm- start ‘getting ready’

Queue High School Musical Three prom montage – Halloween playlist is on, you’re feeling like a boss, nothing is going to go wrong this evening.

You wanted to wear something clever for your costume but ultimately you procrastinated and went with something last minute overpriced at the costume store you will see at least seven girls in tonight. Or better yet, the holy trinity: sexy pirate, sexy devil/angel or sexy witch/cat.

7:30pm- pics before going out

So you can at least get a couple of cute pics for insta while your costumes still last.

(In reality) 7:45pm- mad rush to get ready

Cause you’ve just made it back from the science site, are too committed to sport/ societies or binge watched all of Dahmer on Netflix and left getting ready too late with 15 minutes to spare.

9:00pm- pres

Or if you’re elite: a ✨ House Party✨.

You will end up joining an hour late and know only four people there. You will run into a guy you matched with on Tinder and then ghosted: he’s now dating one of the hosts (oof).

You may (will) get it wrong at pres and may (will) end up stumbling to the next location of the night.

10:30- potential stop at a college bar

Added bonus if you end up on a cheeky bar crawl. There will be three people working behind the bar in cat ears and/ or witch hat wishing they could be anywhere else. Monster Mash will be playing.

At some point around now, you’ll be talking with your friends about tickets for this evening. Either you’re one of the lucky few who planned ahead and got a ticket, or you’re currently in a mad scramble looking on Overheard last minute (surely £15 for a ticket is fine, right?…).

If you haven’t already at pres, you will have an alcohol jacket and abandon your actual jacket before going out (a hungover Overheard at Durham will follow the next morning).

12:00 am- End up queuing for Jimmy’s

Plot twist, you’ve ended up at Jimmy’s. Once again. You will be waiting one to two hours to get in. Whilst doing so, you’ll sober up and suddenly realise you are legit wearing a bedsheet and nothing else in five degree October weather.

If and when you do get into Jimmy’s, its basically a regular Jimmy’s night, but Halloween songs have been added in rotation and there are some random decorations by the loos. Beware the warfare of navigating costumes (injuries may be sustained after being hit by angel wings one too many times).  

2:00am- afters and/ or Paddy’s

You may have an afters planned, but let’s be honest, you will more likely end up in Paddy’s having lost a good chunk of the people you went out with and in an absolute shambles. You will take a picture with someone you just met in the hour long queue cause their costume was (way) cool(-er than yours). It will not be cute and you will probably awkwardly see them in the Billy B two weeks later.

9:00am (realistically 11:00am)- next day

You will wake up the next morning (potential hangover ensuing), having lost the majority of your outfit (to Jimmy’s). If you do make it to lectures, the guy next to you will be stained in red paint from his costume the night before. You will also find a random Tindur asking about someone wearing the same costume as you. It’s not about you.

Rinse and Repeat for next year x

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• Things no one tells you about being a second year