Carleton College

Every Halloween, the Carleton orchestra puts on a concert in the Chapel. The entire orchestra and conductor dress up in costumes, and after the concert there's a costume contest for the audience. The president makes a “surprise” visit, dressed in an elaborate, carefully-crafted costume, and proceeds to perform as a guest conductor or tell scary stories. Schiller usually makes an appearance.

Every Wednesday night during Spring Term, there is a party thrown by the seniors on Mai Fete Island on Lyman Lakes. These parties can be fun because there's a bonfire and free beer, but seniors tend to get on power trips and try to boss people around on the island.

Really the only significant social event in the winter, Mid-Winter Ball gives Carls an excuse to wear fancy clothes and try to ballroom dance.

The night before exams start, professors and deans serve a midnight breakfast to over-stressed students. They do this to try and give students a study break, but the poor quality of the food, namely eating bad sausage links, leads to more harm than good. It's not fun to have to leave an exam ten minutes in because of—ahem—stomach problems.

Carleton's famous all-day softball game/kegger, which is curiously named for ‘70s Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Marvin Rotblatt. This event occurs during the second half of Spring Term, with an additional inning added onto the game for every year Carleton has been in existence. At daybreak, the president of the college throws out the first pitch, the Carleton Knightengales sing the national anthem, the kegs are tapped, and Carls spend a day of fun in the sun hitting—or attempting to hit—softballs with a bat in one hand and a beer in the other.

The bust of Friedrich von Schiller is one of the most recognizable symbols of Carleton tradition. Schiller's bust is held by a mysterious group of Carleton students who bring him out at big campus events. During the events, such as a concert or convocation, the lights completely go out, and a spotlight focuses on a masked Carl holding the bust high over his or her head as they yell, “Schiller!” Chaos ensues. The masked guardian runs off to a waiting vehicle, boat, or helicopter manned by other guardians as students attempt to run down the coveted bust and commandeer it. The bust passes down from Carl to Carl, either through a network of friends or from outright abduction. Trying to capture the bust can be a very violent procedure as Schiller's guardians will protect the bust by any means necessary. It's every Carl's goal to have Schiller at some point in their college career, but it's only the rare few that actually have the dream realized.

During fall term, roommates get a chance to set each other up on blind dates. This event is usually reserved for freshmen that finally decide to take the plunge and talk to the opposite sex. Screw your Roommate dates can be extremely awkward, but they can also be a blast. This is the most dreaded event of the year for a lot of Carls, but for a select few it's the most anticipated.

Known as “Arb Fest” to non-Carls, Spring Concert occurs during the waning weeks of Spring Term. Held outside by the Hill of Three Oaks, Carleton brings in a number of bands for an all-day outdoor music festival. Bands include a Carleton student band, a few local musicians, one lower-tier nationally recognized group, and one upper-tier nationally recognized group. Spring Concert is always blessed by warm weather and sunshine (knock on wood), and makes for one of the most anticipated events in the Carleton year.