Cerritos College was lit up with excitement as students, staff and community members gathered for the 2024 Halloween Dance Spooktacular on Oct. 25.

The event, which was organized by the Associated Students of Cerritos College, transformed the Conference Center into a campus celebration like no other, with costumes, festive food and music bringing the Halloween spirit to life.

The Spookactular opened at 6 p.m., drawing a crowd of attendees dressed as everything and anything in the gallery of media.

Adan Serrano, a student attendee, shared, “I came to just experience something new. I’m glad to see people coming in and enjoying themselves.”

The event featured free burritos with various fillings, allowing attendees to fuel up as they danced and mingled. Green and red Halloween-themed mocktails were also served, adding a festive flair to the evening’s refreshments.

The DJ kept energy levels high, spinning a mix of classic Halloween hits from Michael Jackson and Ray Parker Jr. with modern favorites by Travis Scott and New Jeans. The dance floor was alive with activity, from mosh pits to dance circles and even a conga line.

One of the night’s highlights was the costume contest, where attendees parade their costumes on a runway for a chance to win prizes in categories like “Spookiest Costume,” “Fan Favorite” and “Judges’ Favorite.”

Guadalupe Ramirez’s “Chucky” costume won the Spookiest Costume award.

Pearl Wang and her friend collaborated to form the iconic Pixar lamp and the “I” in Pixar.

Elizabeth Miller, the dean of student services and a judge for the contest, shared her own excitement for the variety of costumes, “I’m looking for creativity and how they bring something beyond the costume itself. There is so much creativity here – it’s wonderful to see.”

Organizers and volunteers worked hard to bring this event to life – taking over a month of planning and support from the Associated Students of Cerritos College Senate.

Gustavo Sanchez, an ASCC Senate volunteer, shared his enthusiasm, “Halloween is such a big event across the country – just helping to make a difference in tonight’s dance so other students can enjoy it is what makes me want to volunteer.”

Jas Reyes, the chairperson of the Student Programming Board, emphasized how the event offers a unique experience for community college students, something often seen at four-year institutions.

“It’s just sort of a tradition that we want to start at Cerritos…,” she explained, “So this is just sort of our way of introducing our leaders at the student level, the faculty level, and just have people sort of like grow in that community and, you know, get to meet new faces and bond with familiar faces as well.”

Miller said, “We saw how many people were involved. And so we want to join and do this again because we thought there’s interest from students.

“It’d be a lot of fun and just kind of a casual way to hang out with people and build community.”