Chloe Fong ‘28
Staff Writer
On Saturday Sept. 7, Scripps Associated Students (SAS) hosted Brat Rave. Centering the iconic “Brat Summer” trend, the party attracted guests across the 5C’s with foam pits and a dynamic dance floor. Brat Rave had a significantly greater turnout compared to past parties hosted by Scripps.
SAS Co-Event Chairs Alex Hamilton ’25 and Sarah Paper ’25 took the lead in planning the event. They planned other successful parties such as Road to the Apocalypse, Tomorrowland, Enchanted Forest, and Block Party that returning students may remember. With Hamilton and Paper’s collected experience over the years, they were ready and excited to plan Brat Rave.
“We had a great experience with our Block Party last spring and decided to reutilize the space, with an exciting production twist: foam,” Hamilton and Paper said to The Scripps Voice in an email. “We worked with our production vendor to provide two foam pits that helped guests get even more into the brat spirit and cool off during the 90 degree night.”
Music was also a major priority for the Rave. DJs Chelsea Luo and Jonny Wise CMC ‘25, with help from Paper, brought upbeat and energetic music to the event, including music from Charli XCX’s brat album.
“We loved the DJ’s, they were really good,” Audrey Granger ’28 said. “We were all dancing and having fun. It was probably my favorite event that I’ve been to so far.”
Brat Rave was the first Scripps party for many first-year and transfer students, and many returning students have yet to experience anything quite like it.
“As far as other Scripps parties, they’ve often felt really under-attended, or they’ve gotten shut down early,” Rosie Movich-Fields ’26 said via text message. “I think Brat Rave was much better on both of those ends, and I hope that Scripps administration will see that it is entirely possible to have fun parties here without compromising anyone’s safety or the grounds of Scripps. Overall, I had a great experience, other than the long line to get in and what in my opinion was an overkill of campus security.”
Hana Skigen ’26 also had fun at the event, yet expressed she wanted to hear more music by queer artists to fit the brat theme.
“I really enjoyed the evening!” Skigen said via text message. “Although getting in was a bit tricky, once we were inside, the vibes were fantastic. It genuinely felt like a real college party, and it was nice to have such fun at a 5C event for a change.”
SAS worked closely with the Scripps Office of Student Engagement, Public Events, Risk Management, and Grounds & Facilities in June to make sure the event meets Scripps’ standards and safety protocols. Several meetings were held about water and power access and the foam pits to ensure everyone’s safety at the party.
“I felt quite safe in the foam pits; they were well designed,” Skigen said. “My only concern came from some of the people there. SAS did a good job keeping the foam pit separate from the mosh pit, which helped create a safer atmosphere.”
There are downsides to such a popular party. SAS decided to use Qualtrics for students to register and sign waivers. The registration maximum was met within 25 minutes of the form being released on Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m.
“In my opinion, there was not a good warning about the intensity of the registration process,” Simone Pradhan ’28 said. “I logged on at 5:20 p.m. because I was in the shower and registration had already closed. It would have been nice if they told us what the registration limit was so we could be prepared for how intense it would be.”
Although many 5C students were not able to register online in time, students could present their 5C ID card at the event after waiting in line. With security and a strict event capacity, the infamous storming of the gates at the Scripps Halloween party in 2022 was not repeated at Brat Rave.
“We hadn’t anticipated such a high turnout given that SAS 5C events typically don’t have more than about 300 guests at one time,” Hamilton and Paper wrote. “However, during the event, we had to temporarily close the entrance around 11:30 p.m. when we first hit the event capacity. Even though this decision made things a little more challenging for those working the entrance at the time, it was exciting that we had a full house, lots of people playing in the foam, and a packed dance floor.”
Hamilton and Paper expressed their appreciation for the supportive SAS events programming committee that helped them successfully run the Brat Rave. To be on the committee and help plan SAS events, reach out to [email protected] to apply.
Photo Courtesy: Cherish Voyticky ’25
