On Friday, Feb. 16, approximately 2,200 students engaged in an unforgettable night of festivities at the annual Winter Gala held in the Connelly Center. The event was full of arresting lights, exquisite delicacies and dazzling moves on the dance floor that united the student body.
The Winter Gala festivities were open to all undergraduate students, and ran from 9 p.m. to midnight. During the event, the Connelly Center was transformed into a luscious banquet hall.
“It felt like a different room and atmosphere,” senior Matt Owens said regarding the Winter Gala’s decorations.
When first entering the Connelly Center, students in attendance witnessed a springing fountain that glimmered under the fluorescent lights installed around the main lobby. The President’s Lounge, located to the left of the fountain, served as a coat check and appetizer room, home to abundant servings of savory shrimp cocktails with charcuterie.
The Villanova Room was where the main event of the night was held. What normally acts as the site of important conferences, addresses or presentations on campus instead boasted an enormous tile floor where an overwhelming number of students danced until they dropped.
“The DJ was awesome,” freshman Jordan Tiday said. “I’d be happy to see him again next year.”
The DJ was playing some of the greatest hits from the 2000s, such as Sean Kingston’s “Fire Burning” and Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite.”
Elegantly structured towers with white palm tree-like leaves and white flowers filled the Villanova Room. The walls were adorned with black designs that came together like flower petals.
Villanova’s famous art gallery room and the area preceding the meeting rooms upstairs became the center of casino games and a live band’s rock music. Students paid for chips and bet them all on the chance to win raffle tickets in games like roulette and blackjack. Students could enter their tickets into the lottery for the opportunity to get a free dinner for four at the Refectory on campus.
The variety of options in Belle Air Terrace was mouthwatering. There was a nacho bar with the options of shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole and salsa; Spanish empanadas filled with beef, buffalo chicken and spinach, and two taco bars with choices of pinto beans, cilantro rice, roasted Mexican vegetables and pollo asado. The Cinema Lobby food station offered tasty finger foods like curly fries, mini cheeseburgers, pigs-in-a-blanket and the consensus favorite of the night among students: macaroni-and-cheese bites.
“There were a lot of options for food, which is good,” senior Santiago Martinez said.
Multiple cakes, of both vegan and gluten-free fashions, were available in the white tent located next to Connelly Circle. The flavors ranged from red velvet to vanilla to various chocolate options. Candied toppings, such as chocolate-covered pretzels, jellybeans and Jolly Ranchers, were also on hand. Large golden cages and tables sporting elegant snowflake designs decorated the tent, fitting the theme of the momentous occasion.
Many students in attendance expressed the sentiment that the student body does not get many opportunities to unite all together, so they appreciated the chance for community building that the gala presents.
“I found that going to the gala was an excellent way to have a blast and make new memories,” junior Connor Redman said.
“I think it’s really great that the University offers this for us,” senior Rachel Jordan said.
The 2024 Winter Gala was a hit among students and was a great opportunity to appreciate the people that make Villanova special.
“This is a time to not only enjoy time with your best friends, but also relish being in the company of your university family,” sophomore Nick Williams said.
