Over 1,000 students flocked to Barton Hall for Cornell’s first Big Red Carnival — a fun-filled evening of games, food and performances on Friday night.
The event, sponsored by the Cornell Class Councils, aimed to unite the Cornell community and foster a sense of school pride, according to Daniel Engelson ’18, a member of the planning committee.
“We want people to feel that Cornell is their home, and the carnival is a step in that direction,” Engelson said.
Attractions included games, a photo booth and student performances by Cayuga’s Waiters, Cornell Sitara, Cornell Juggling Team and The Hangovers.
The event started out as a “battle of the classes,” in which students from different years and organizations would compete against one another, but was eventually transformed into a school-wide carnival, according to Engelson.
Student attendee Dustin Liu ’19 expressed support for this move towards inclusivity.
“I think it’s really great that we have events that bring together the entire Cornell community, not only the classes,” Liu said.
Emily Lien ’19, attendee, said she participated in the carnival games in order to win the most tickets and walk away with the grand prize — tickets to the Governor’s Ball in New York City in June.
“We’re in it to win the [Governor’s Ball] tickets,” Lien said.
The Class Councils also set up a fundraising table to collect donations for the President Elizabeth Garrett Fund for Colon Cancer Research.
Each class council was originally meant to raise money for their own cause, but the Class Councils decided to focus all fundraising efforts on President Garrett’s prevention fund, according Taylor Christensen ’17, class council philanthropy chair.
Christensen added that half of the donations will be given to Anabel’s Grocery, because it helped sponsor the carnival.
The event was a success due to the high turnout and fun-filled atmosphere, according to Engelson.
“When I looked around the gym floor and saw a lot of smiles and students running around laughing, I personally felt as if our job had been successfully done,” Engelson said. “I’m excited to see half a year’s hard work finally come to fruition.”
The Class Councils hope to make Big Red Carnival an annual event, according to Engelson.