A historical hangover: rating past party themes

By Sophie Garlick     11/19/24 10:39pm

Prepare to be horrified, amused and maybe a little concerned as Rice’s most cringe-worthy party themes are revisited. The past remains littered with themes tried and failed, yet necessary for the birth of the parties Rice now enjoys. 

8. Hanszen’s Mardi Gras Party 

Dating all the way back to February 1970, Hanszen College’s first Mardi Gras party in the Grand Hall featured a costume contest with cash prizes and a rock band. In 2003, the party was relocated to their commons. 

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Ryan Gately, editor-in-chief of the Thresher at the time, said he enjoyed the party in a February 2012 edition of the Thresher.

“The stripper poles and cages made me feel at home,” Gately said.  

The theme continued to capture the hearts of students until attendance became an issue and Hanszen decided to revamp their public with an all-new theme in 2019: “Lights Out.” 

Hanszen College proved that while some things might be bigger in Texas, they aren’t necessarily better — Mardi Gras is best left to Louisiana. 

7. Sid Schoolgirls

Sid Richardson College’s “Schoolgirls” party was first hosted in March 2010. According to a March 2010 edition of the Thresher, the party included, “hot [DJs] … free food and drinks, and of course, schoolgirl’s favorite’s, stripper poles.” 

Encouraged to dress on theme, some students found discomfort in the party’s demeaning perspective towards women. Lauren Schmidt, Sid Richardson’s president at the time, said that the party’s theme change to the future “Sidstock” was inevitable. 

“Since [the party’s] conception, every year Sidizens have come forward and either talked to [resident associates] or masters about how the theme makes them feel,” Schmidt, a junior at Sid Richardson, said in a November 2015 edition of the Thresher. 

So, with no tenure track to speak of, the party soon found itself fired from campus. This did not stop an unregistered Sid Seventh party “Lads in Plaids” from taking place on January 28, 2016, drawing inspiration from its predecessor. 

Embarrassingly lacking in creativity and wildly unpopular, both “Sid Schoolgirls” and “Lads in Plaids” take whatever fun was left of school right out. 

6. Sidstock 

Sid Richardson’s subsequent dissolution of “Sid School Girls” led to the albeit better, but still lacking, theme of Sidstock in 2015.  If the name can’t be trusted, the public likely follows suit. Etymology and inspiration from Woodstock — a music festival and reference unbeknownst to most — was neither creative nor clear.

Akeem Ogunkeye attended both parties and said that the party quality remained unchanged in a March 2015 edition of the Thresher. 

“It was generally the same this year as it was last year,” Ogunkeye, a then Jones College sophomore, said.  “At the time I hadn’t even thought about [the theme], but if anyone complained, I would understand why it was changed. I’m okay with it.”

Finding Sidstock not memorable enough to leave a lasting impression, Sid Richardson College began hosting Sid ’80s. 

5. Baker Christmas

Baker College hosted its first Christmas-themed public in 2016, registering itself as a public but limiting attendance to Bakerites only. 

A September 2016 edition of the Thresher said the original plan was to throw a Baker-only event on the fourth floor. However, this plan was not accepted, so it was re-registered hours before the party as a campus-wide event, though only Baker students were in attendance. 

In 2018, Baker Christmas was officially registered as a public event, paving the path for students and criticism alike, as the entire campus was invited to celebrate in September. 

Simona Matovic, in an edition of the Backpage in September 2018 of the Thresher, gave her final thoughts on the party. 

“On behalf of every South College resident taking this big loss, I’d like to wish Baker a merry power outage, from the bottom of my heart,” Matovic said. 

Eventually, the decision to privatize Baker Christmas came  in September 2023 after slanderous feedback on Fizz, according to Piper Winn, a former social committee head, in a September 2023 edition of the Thresher. 

“The app was pretty much [non-Bakerites] complaining about the music, the space being too big and empty, little things like that,” Winn said. “We did everything within our power to have it run smoothly, but there’s certain aspects that we didn’t have any ability to change.”

However, with the theme still not as bad as the previous parties, the public finds itself moving up in the ranks compared to the Thresher’s March 2023 article ranking publics where Baker found itself in an unfortunate dead last.

4. Lovett’s Night of the Macabre Casino Party 

With first mentions of the public in April 1990, Lovett College’s Casino Night party withstood the test of time until 2012. 

In 2011, with a theme that fell flat among students, the party saw its initial decline. 

“Not many students were expected to attend due to the shitty Edgar Allan Poe theme,” according to a February 2011 edition of the Thresher. 

In an attempt to regain face, a September 2011 edition of the Thresher reported, “Its extraterrestrial-themed party definitely left much costume potential to those with creativity and time. Unfortunately, most Rice undergrads lack both of these elements, and the result was a party riddled with the most terrestrial of clothing.” 

The combination of close quarters and Lovett’s toaster-esque structural design left little room for air. 

As Ryan Gupta, opinion editor at the time, stated in the same edition, “Too hot to handle. Literally.” 

3. Baker 90s Prom Party

First introduced in April 2010, the Baker Prom Party took place in the Duncan College commons at 10 p.m.

As seen in an April 2010 edition of Thresher, the party featured "Titanic-themed fun, including a Titanic photo op, giant pictures of steamy Leonardo DiCaprio and bubbles."

Running it back again in 2011, Baker's second 90's Prom Party was filled with nostalgia. The “rollin' with the homies” night featured Backstreet Boys and U2, as well as a truly dying breed: the capable DJ. 

Baker's party received wide acclaim in an April 2011 edition of the Thresher. 

Ryan Gupta, opinions editor, stated in the same edition, "While Baker isn't particularly known for top-caliber parties, a bit of revamping went a long way this year to make it an enjoyable night for a lot of people."

However, with no mention of the event ever again, no amount of enjoyment could make the 90's last.

2. Archi-Arts 2008 Plastic Party

Held from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Meridian downtown Feb. 9, the Archi-Arts Club hosted an off-campus party open to all grade levels. With the word “plastic” littering the Anderson Hall windows, the theme would be sure to make Regina George proud, and every turtle extinct, almost perfectly hitting the head on the nail. 

Lin, a Baker college sophomore at the time, explained the costume visions for the party in a February 2008 edition of Thresher. 

“We are thinking people will make suits out of credit cards, or wrap themselves in Saran Wrap,” Lin said. 

With the Archi-Arts’ longstanding tradition of hosting a party every year since 1922 to host money for architecture students’ trips to Paris, the 2008 theme was creative enough to garner second place. 

1. Martel Beach Party  

In April 2011, Martel hosted its beach party on the sundeck. 

Receiving a +1000 aura for originality and rhyming, in 2015, The Campanile wrote about the party's theme, with the “wave rave” acting as a perfect cap to the school year.

"Rice students came in outfits inspired by the beach or the ocean. It was a fitting last party as they began to think about the upcoming summer," the description said.

Martel's acknowledgement of Houston's intemperate weather but also a theme that fittingly capped the end of the school year earns it the number one spot.

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