With the new semester sneaking up on Lafayette students, Assistant Director of Student Leadership and Involvement Joe DeMarco will welcome students back on campus with the upcoming Winterfest event.

DeMarco said Winterfest was created as a means to make an environment where students can socialize and have a good time.

“[It provides] a place for students to socialize on campus….in an attractive, fun and memorable way. It is also a welcome back event—a way to celebrate being back on campus,” he said. “This will allow people to get out of their dorms and socialize.”

Winterfest is an outdoor, communal winter-themed welcome back event for Lafayette students and professors, where they will be able to ice-skate, eat, catch up with friends and professors and receive free grab-and-go goods. The function will feature exciting main attractions such as a 40-foot synthetic ice skating rink, a snow globe photo booth and inflatables. There will also be treats such as hot chocolate and cookies, along with a free winter giveaway. This will be a big Lafayette community event.

According to DeMarco, when Winterfest was first created last year, there was a turnout of about a couple of hundred students. He hopes that this semester the turnout is just as good, if not better.

“We want [Winterfest] to be a legacy event we do every year,” Demarco said. “We did [it] last year for the first time and it was really well received [with] a [turnout of] a couple hundred students. We hope to get a couple hundred students again or more.”

“It makes Lafayette feel like home after coming back from [the long] break,” DeMarco said.

He added that it also tries to ease tensions to make people feel less stressed, more relaxed and happier to be back. The winter season inspires feelings of coziness and comfort, so it should make attendees feel like they are at home, he said.

Winterfest will take place this Saturday night from 8pm-11pm on March Field.