In accepting a friend’s appeal to write an article on Hampshire Halloween, I did not anticipate how difficult an undertaking it would prove. I quickly realized the degree to which every account varied; asking others who I knew had gone, I ran into walls of vague impressions, obscure experiences and fantastic sensations. Let this serve as the principal commentary on Hampshire Halloween.

The event has gained widespread notoriety, peaking in the mid-90’s when it was profiled in a 1995 issue of Rolling Stone magazine as a “must-see party.” Known for the extravagant costumes, rampant use of hallucinogenic drugs and general degree of debauchery, the familiar dubbing of “Trip or Treat” seems to have been well-warranted. It is safe to say, however, that the annual party is not what it once was. No longer an open party, entry to this psychedelic supernatural realm may only be gained by soliciting a place on the guest list (through a Hampshire College student) or by purchasing one of the 150 tickets given by Hampshire to each of the other colleges in the Consortium. In addition to the privatization of the party, security and safety measures taken by the school are said to have increased significantly, with an estimated $7,000 spent this year on public safety.

The party itself was split primarily between two tents — a larger more central one with techno/house playing and a slightly smaller tent to the side, which a lone man (wearing purple face paint and twirling a baton) generously tried to explain, for several minutes, was the psychedelic rock tent. The dynamic of the larger tent, under which the bulk of people danced, was exactly that of an outdoor rave. Despite loving the vibrant, hypnotic and trance-like atmosphere, Jessica Hendel ’12 recounts how she was asked to step down from the elevated platform on which she was dancing because she “was not wearing a green bracelet.” She admits feeling a bit shocked at this seemingly arbitrary ruling, given the egalitarian and uncensored nature of the environment.

I found that among the Amherst students who had attended, the general impression was that Hampshire Halloween’s reputation tended to precede it. Another student, a bit harsher in his critique, described it as “pointless, unless you’re tripping balls.” The feeling of disappointment is also largely a testament to the degree to which Amherst students, in their own minds, had perhaps aggrandized the party and the degree to which their expectations had been heightened by the almost mythical aura and constant hype surrounding the event.

The verdict: It IS an absolute must-see party — tripping or not, the music is great and the energy in itself is intoxicating.