When I first came to Hopkins, I wasn’t sure what celebrating holidays on campus would look like. I’m the kind of person who goes home for the major ones: Thanksgiving and Christmas. But there are plenty of holidays that happen while I’m still on campus, and I’ve learned that Hopkins knows how to make them feel special, whether you’re celebrating with roommates, student organizations, or the entire university community.
This year, Halloween became my roommates and I’s thing. Since we’re all on campus during October, we decided to go all out. We hung bats on the walls, put a witch’s hat banner above the TV, taped caution tape across the arch to the kitchen, and placed a cauldron on the dinner table filled with Halloween-themed candy. We also scattered tiny skeletons everywhere, like inside towel rolls and tucked into the cauldron.
We didn’t stop there. Our floor was hosting a door decorating competition, and thanks to the help of one of my roommate’s moms, we managed to pull off a great “It”-themed door with the added detail of paper boats featuring our names. It turned out amazing and puts into perspective what makes holidays fun, even away from home. For Halloween night, my roommates went the extra mile in a group costume as the main Family Guy cast (minus Brian). I didn’t participate in the costume myself but watching them put it all together was entertaining enough.
Beyond apartment decorating and costumes, Hopkins has plenty of events for holidays. One of the biggest campus-wide events is Hoptoberfest, which happens every fall and basically kicks off the Halloween season. The festival features activities ranging from inflatables to lawn games, a petting zoo, fall bouquet making, and even a haunted house. There’s also always a concert. In past years Hopkins has brought in artists like Khalid (2025), Kiana Ledé (2024), COIN (2023), Rick Ross (2023), and Desiigner (2022). The whole week is packed with events, so there’s always something to do to relax. Plus, they give away free Hoptoberfest T-shirts because who doesn’t love free stuff?
If you’re still on campus later in the semester, there’s also the Lighting of the Quads, which happens in December right before finals. It’s an annual tradition where hundreds of students, staff, faculty, and community members gather to celebrate the end of the fall semester and mark the beginning of the holiday season. The event features live performances by student musical groups, food and drinks distributed by campus organizations, fire twirling by the Johns Hopkins Entertainers Club, ice carving, and more, culminating in the lighting of hundreds of holiday lights on trees and buildings around campus and a fireworks display. It’s one of those events where the whole Hopkins community comes together, and it’s a nice break from preparing for finals. It sets the mood of a winter wonderland right on campus.
For students who celebrate different religious and cultural holidays, Hopkins acknowledges and supports those traditions too. The Hindu Students Council hosts an annual Diwali celebration, complete with cultural performances, food, and an open dance floor. Hopkins Dining also hosts a Thanksgiving dinner a week early, giving students the chance to celebrate with each other before heading home for fall recess. There are also events throughout the year for holidays like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and others, and the university maintains a calendar of religious holy days so that students, faculty, and staff can practice their traditions without schedule-related interferences.
What I’ve learned over my time here is that holidays at Hopkins don’t have to feel lonely or distant from home. Whether it’s decorating your apartment with your roommates, attending a campus-wide celebration, or joining a cultural or religious student organization for their events, there are so many ways to make the holidays feel special. So, whether you’re staying on campus or heading home, make sure to take advantage of the events Hopkins puts on. They’re worth it, and they make the semester feel a lot more festive.
