Bars get boring. Boston College has the solution to your overdone weekend routine. Whether you religiously attend sports games or jam out to every concert, or even if you’re the person who regrets your late-night Instagram post, you will feel the FOMO if you miss out on these events.
Fear the FOMO. Don’t miss out on these 10 Boston College events that you’ll remember as the best days of your life.
1. Plexapalooza
It’s tight. It’s sweaty. And it’s real loud. It’s Plexapalooza, of course, and nothing else compares at BC. Every year, rumors swirl for weeks while students eagerly await the Campus Activities Board’s announcement of who’s performing. They do a pretty decent job of keeping it a secret. If you’re interested, though, you need to pounce online the moment the tickets go on sale. From my experience, they mostly sell out to freshmen and sophomores. The whole show eventually turns into a clammy, alcohol-induced mosh pit of underclassmen in the gym. Upperclassmen seem to settle down in their old age, opting for classy off-campus parties and bars where they won’t ruin their hair.
2. Modstock
https://vimeo.com/164472172
So, last year, it was T-Pain. Yeah, talk about a throwback. The performer for this spring-time concert was definitely…unexpected…but that didn’t deter any BC students trekking down to the mods. Neither did the pouring rain, I guess, because the number of people out there in Hawaiian shirts and bucket hats was still really decent. I don’t know if it was the alcohol or kids desperately grasping for spring in the form of a darty, but it was definitely memorable jamming out to our middle school favorites.
3. Mudstock
It’s like Modstock, but…not. It’s in the same location, but instead of a concert, this is a huge volleyball tournament played in a mud court. The entire court is filled with slippery, mushy brown sludge, so the moment you dive for the ball, you give up all control over your own body. Who knows where you’re sliding or whom you’re sliding into next. But who cares? You do what you’ve got to do for that win. And for the triumphant, muddy squad photo at the end.
4. Head of the Charles
Rowing is Boston’s iconic sport. The Charles, our meandering river that separates Cambridge from Boston, is always peppered with rowing shells—from the early morning hours to late in the evening. Head of the Charles, or HOCR, is an enormous international regatta that takes place every year in October. You’ll see a shockingly wide range of athletes racing and just lounging in the team tents along the banks. This weekend is a big part of Boston culture, and you’ll definitely hear all about it in the days following the event. It’s worth taking a stroll down to the Charles and just checking it out for a bit on a weekend afternoon—if only to know what everyone’s talking about and experience it for yourself.
5. Showdown
Anyone who’s talked to one of the performers during their practice period immediately before the dance competition knows about the blood, sweat and tears it involves. This is their opportunity to show the rest of the student body what they can do, so they really do give it their all. “I went to Showdown to support my roommates who are part of Full Swing,” senior Marguerite Francois said. “Every act was so amazing, upbeat and inspiring and just reminded me how much talent there is at BC.”
6. Relay for Life
Relay definitely doesn’t fit in with the rest of this list, but it definitely deserves recognition. This event really makes you pause, forget about your over-scheduled lifestyle and think deep. Some of the students who go spend months raising money. Others go to show their support. No matter what, this event always proves to move you, so go. Just do it. If you don’t you’ll hear about it in the following days and wish you did your part to help in the battle against cancer. Nobody is too busy for that.
7. Homecoming
Homecoming is one of the few formal dances we have here at BC. We differ from a lot of Southern schools in the sense that people don’t usually get all that dressed up to go out. Ladies keep it simple with jeans and a cute top while guys just about always go with khakis and a button up or t-shirt. But, of course, everybody likes to play dress-up every once in a while, so here’s your chance to break out that one nice dress you brought from home “just in case.”
8. 100 Days Dance
The 100 Days Dance is a bit more special than Homecoming—mostly because it’s only open to seniors. It marks the point when they are exactly 100 days away from graduation, so people get amped about it. “People fear missing out on 100 Days Dance because it’s essentially the first major senior exclusive event, and the only one before senior week,” senior Anthony Golden said. “It’s an opportunity to get a large portion of the class downtown and out of the BC bubble together too, which doesn’t happen that often.”
9. The Beanpot
Speaking of exclusivity, the Beanpot is the king of selective events at BC. Every year, the four major hockey schools in Boston (BC, Harvard, Boston University and Northeastern) show up to the Garden win. However, BC is only gets a limited number of student tickets to sell for the event. So BC decided to get creative about who can purchase these tickets. Instead of selling them on a first come, first serve basis, they’ve created an app with a point system. The account on your app contains all the BC games and meets, so the idea is that you “check-in” to every one that you attend—no matter the sport. Those with the most points are awarded an opportunity to buy a Beanpot ticket.
10. Marathon Monday
Whether you run the legendary race or plan to get loud and cheer on all the inspirational athletes out there, marathon attendance on Patriot’s Day is a essentially a requirement in Boston. Students here take the celebration further than anyone else. There will probably never be another time in your life when it’s acceptable to wake up and drink at 6 a.m. with your closest friends. However, this year, Patriot’s Day happens to fall on Easter weekend, which is when many people go home to be with their families. So, we encounter the question of whether or not people will leave Easter dinner early to travel back to Boston. Those who choose to squeeze every last minute out of their breaks at home will miss the race on Monday. Talk about FOMO.
