Harvest Fest took over Tech Green, covering the lawn with fall-themed fun and activities for students to enjoy. The event was planned by the Student Center Programs Council (SCPC), an on-campus organization that focuses on planning events for students at the Institute.
Harvest Fest was a celebration of the official start of fall and took place on a picturesque autumn day. With sunlight poking through the clouds and a breeze in the air, the weather added to the autumnal atmosphere. The slightly cooler weather and respite from the sun made hanging out on Tech Green pleasant for students as they participated in the activities and games laid out in the area.
Arya Kirpekar, fourth-year ID, was a leader in the event planning.
“Our main goal with the event is to give people a fun place to hang out. We wanted to bring people together, and with fall starting, it is a good time to be outside,” Kirpekar said.
Students were able to connect with friends and enjoy the various activities SCPC brought to Tech Green. For the more artistically inclined students, pumpkin painting was used along with other crafts.
“We have a craft where students can make corn out of beads and pipe cleaners, and that’s my favorite activity, ” Kirpekar said.
For the more adventurous members of the student body, there was an inflatable corn maze and competition obstacle where students could race to the top of an inflatable hill.
“It’s partway through the semester, so it is starting to get stressful, so it is a good place for people to unwind and relax,” Kirpekar said.
Along with activities, SCPC had snacks and treats for students to enjoy as well. Apple cider and caramel apple dippers were served, and with Halloween coming up, SCPC also had fun-sized candy for students to snack on. Students were also able to make hot chocolate using kits with chocolate powder, marshmallow fluff and chocolate chips.
The event, originally scheduled for last Friday, had to be postponed due to Hurricane Helene delaying the fun over the weekend.
“We just want to make people’s days more fun, so it would have been nice to do the event on Friday, but it’s still fun today,” Kirpekar said.
Harvest Fest is far from the first event planned by the Student Center Programs Council. SCPC is an Institute-focused organization composed of students, and it plans numerous events throughout the entire school year for students to enjoy. Students may be most familiar with their largest events, Georgia Tech at the Aquarium Night and, most recently, Georgia Tech at Six Flags Night, which occurred only two weeks ago. While these events are their most popular ones, they are not on campus and cost money, limiting some students from attending.
“We try to make everything as accessible as possible. We have events on different days of the week and at different times throughout the day, from morning to night, and at different locations. We try to have as many free events as possible,” Kirpekar said.
Harvest Fest was completely free for students to enjoy, and by taking place on Tech Green SCPC, it was able to maximize its accessibility to students on campus. A lot of effort went into the planning of the event.
“We had six weeks planning the event, so seeing it come to fruition and seeing people have fun and enjoy the event is amazing,” Kirpekar said.
If students are interested in going to more SCPC events, check out SCPC on Instagram @gtscpc or for those who want to get involved in SCPC itself, Kirpekar encourages students to join.
“I love our community in SCPC. We have about one hundred people, and we hang out and have fun together,” Kirpekar said.