Cobwebs coated Brown Gym and eerie lanterns provided a dim light on each table as students, witches, wizards, and other characters danced their way into the night at the annual Halloween Ball  last Thursday.

Music echoed outside the gym into the night, and food and beverages were provided to the students who came to enjoy the festivities, dressed in attire that ranged from horrific to adorable.

One of the winners of the costume contest, Allison Willard, said she enjoyed dancing in her wings. Willard, freshman pre-nursing major, was dressed in a colorful parakeet costume.

Other contest winners include Beaux Coleman, Kinsey Kerrigan, Amber Griffin, and Jessie Waller. Coleman and Kerrigan were dressed as a Fred and Daphne couple.

Coleman, a junior psychology major, said he wasn’t really trying to win the contest.

“This was our costume from last year, so we just decided to put it back together. We don’t get to go out and dance very often, so this was really fun. Halloween is his favorite holiday,” said Kerrigan, sophomore biology major.

Griffin and Waller also came to the party as a couple, dressed as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

“Dressing up in our couples costume was the best part, along with being with the university and getting to participate in events on campus,” said Amber Griffin, junior pre-physical therapy major.

Waller, a junior business major, agreed with Griffin and said he enjoyed getting to dance with his girl the most.

Each of the contest winners were awarded with gift cards to spend at their leisure.

Other students, who weren’t even aware that a costume contest would take place during the night’s festivities, still did not hesitate to dress up and show their Halloween spirit.

Elaina Greer, junior computer science major, said she takes any opportunity to dress up.

“It’s a good opportunity to mingle with people,” Greer said.

She was dressed in a very convincing Draco Malfoy robe from the popular “Harry Potter” movie series.

Greer said her entire outfit came from London, where she participated in a Harry Potter tour. Her wizard costume, wand and all, was an exact replica of the movie costume. Shelby Cunningham, a junior secondary English education major, was dressed as Bilbo Baggins from the popular saga “The Hobbit.”

“I’ve never been to a Halloween party before. It’s really fun, plus I have friends here too. I’m a really bad, in public, dancer and dancing terribly is fun,” Cunningham said.