As the sun began to set over the Peace Quad last Tuesday, students wandered between pumpkins and pop-up vendors in the annual Fall Fest hosted by the Binghamton University Student Association Programming Board.

Attendees perched on hay bales around an illuminated stage, enjoying free food and live performances throughout the night for a “Halloweentown” theme. With autumnal activities, a student flea and a spooky surprise just around the corner, Fall Fest 2025 was a hit among students.

Tables spanned across the Peace Quad, selling clothes, jewelry and crocheted goods. The student flea is a tradition at many of SAPB’s festivals, where vendors can display their artistic skills and unique sense of style. With showcases spanning from crocheted stuffed animals to vintage jackets, student vendors drew bustling crowds to their businesses. For vendors like Kate Utin, a senior majoring in business administration, tabling has become a tradition throughout the years.

“I’ve been tabling since I was a freshman,” Utin said.

“I make the jewelry, I make crochet items, I do a lot of thrift flips in addition to the stuff that I sell that’s thrifted,” she continued.

Utin’s business, Celestial Stitches, displayed handmade jewelry, crocheted pieces and thrift flips alongside a rack of clothing. Across from her table, another fashionable vendor offered bins of t-shirts, which students dug through vigorously while others thumbed through rows of sweatshirts.

In addition to shopping, students also enjoyed free food and drinks at different tents. The Sodexo-sponsored mac and cheese bar was a huge hit, along with the SAPB’s apple cider and doughnut setup.

However, some free treats came with the promise of a prize, as demonstrated by the pie-eating contest. With a free pie and the potential prize of a Wegman’s gift card, competitors took the stage. They prepared for the feast, sitting with their hands behind their backs and the pies on the table before them. An emcee counted them down, similar to a sports commentator, throughout the entire competition. When the time was up, contestants packed up their pies and wiped their faces as a winner was announced and applause erupted throughout the Peace Quad.

Performances featuring dancers and musicians were scattered throughout the night. The opening act was performed by the band Larj, drawing in crowds as the festivities began. As the bell tower rang at 7 p.m., the University Pep Band performed a show that featured renditions of popular songs.

Later in the night, dancers brought the stage to life with a performance from MODA, a hip-hop group under PARAMODA, as purple lighting and vibrant choreography lit up the festival. Binghamton Kickline also performed on the grass, using popular hits like “Rock That Body” by the Black Eyed Peas, amping up the crowd’s energy with their classic seamless kickline near the end of their act. Finally, the BU Dance Team closed the performances out with some school spirit and chants, adding in impressive acrobatic tricks.

Cheers weren’t the only sounds heard at the festival, as the area was filled with screams echoing from the haunted house. A terrifying pop-up from Hellstead Manor was a festival favorite. Students formed a line that snaked across the Peace Quad to enter. Inside, actors dressed in special effects makeup and blood-stained costumes wielded weapons at attendees and shrieks could be heard as students were jump-scared within.

Maya Bobadilla, a sophomore double-majoring in psychology and art and design, recounted her experience in the haunted house. Though it was her first time at Fall Fest, she said she was sure to attend next year if the haunted house returned, too.

“When we were waiting in line, a ton of people were screaming, so as we were getting closer to the entrance, we started getting a little more nervous,” Bobadilla said. “As we were in line, this one girl who was scaring people inside the house was also going up and down the line, scaring people randomly.”

Natalia Lozano, the festivals chair for SAPB and a junior majoring in English, played a major role in organizing the festival and elaborated on some of the responsibilities involved in bringing the event to life.

“Calling up a lot of businesses, keeping up a budget tracker, keeping our relations with outside vendors,” Lozano said. “Just making sure we tailor our interests with students and bringing that into our campus. That’s why we got the haunted house, we’re like, ‘Maybe students would like that.’ That took a lot of effort.”

Fall Fest is one of SAPB’s most notable events, alongside Spring Fling. The festivities brought together students and vendors alike. According to the organization’s website, the SAPB “focuses on providing dynamic, exciting, and student-centered large-scale concerts, festivals and shows.”

With student interest at the center, SAPB’s Fall Fest showcased the talented musicians, artists, fashionistas and dancers of the University, while welcoming Halloween to campus. Laughter and screams alike denoted the success of the event’s programming, while the sunken-in hay bales surrounding the stage showed students’ engagement with the performances. “Halloweentown” was truly a strong start to the scariest time of year.