On Friday, March 27, the Student Outdoor Recreation Program* team hosted a carnival as spring quarter’s First Friday event. The event was held in the lower Royal Brougham Pavillion.

Royal Brougham was decorated with dimmed lights, bright games and even a cotton candy stand. To add to the environment they played carnival music as well. Melia Hallenbeck, a first year at Seattle Pacific University studying visual studies and studio arts, appreciated the theme of the event.

“The music was very atmospheric and brought us all into the overall carnival vibe,” Hallenbeck said.

The event featured ring toss, laser tag, mini golf and various bouncy houses. Outside of Royal Brougham, a Mike’s Shaved Ice truck offered students free shaved ice with unlimited toppings and flavors. First year biomedical and technical engineering student Meg Whitt shared her personal highlights from the event.

“My favorite activity was the bouncy houses, especially the basketball one. It was so fun to watch other people and to participate in it,” Whitt said.

With a line outside of the door for entry, the carnival was packed with students and staff. Whitt claimed the crowd added to the atmosphere.

“The turn out was much larger than I expected. I hadn’t heard a lot of people on campus talking about going, but a lot of people came. The turn out made it feel even more like an actual carnival in a way,” Whitt said.

The carnival was held on the visiting weekend for 2026-2027 admits, the new students were encouraged to attend. The carnival served as a welcome for current and admitted students.

“It definitely helped welcome me back to the new quarter. It was so nice to see everybody and catch up with people. It was really great to have this opportunity to build up the SPU community in a fun way,” Hallenbeck said.

To keep up to date with events hosted by STORP you can follow @spu_storp on Instagram.

April 7, 2026 – Article edited for corrections.

*Students Together: Outdoor Recreations & Programs