| Traditions | |
- Barefoot on the Mall: Barefoot takes place in late April, usually when students need to be finishing projects and studying for finals, but it is still fun to visit student organization tables, race on inflatable obstacle courses, and listen to the concerts.
- Greek Week : Greek Week is used for Greek bonding and Rushing and includes a myriad of events, such as a pig pickin’ and a Miss Greek Week contest. Students may see ECU’s Greek groups at information booths on Wright Plaza, and there are usually lots of “smokers,” which are mixers and interest meetings.
- Halloween: Halloween in Greenville is widely known and is probably the largest one-evening outdoor celebration in Greenville apart from the 4th of July.
- Iron Pour: Ever year around Homecoming or Halloween time, the School of Art hosts the Iron Pour, which attracts artists from all over the country. It is definitely a cool event to watch, especially on a cold night when the orange sparks are flying everywhere and the heat wafts around the sculpture yard.
- Midnight Madness and Mardi Gras: On Halloween and sometime around Mardi Gras, Mendenhall hosts events. A valid 1 Card must be shown at the door. Midnight Madness usually lasts from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Halloween night. At past Mardi Gras events, there has been a giant Alligator King cake and a late-night breakfast buffet of Cajun food. Drag shows have been very popular in recent years, as well.
- Pirate Palooza: The Pirate Palooza usually takes place a day or two before classes start in the fall. Students may get free stuff, like key chains and pens, and compete for free tuition and textbooks.
- Polar Bear Pool Party: Usually sometime in January, the outdoor pool at the Rec Center opens for an evening, and adventurous students can plunge in to compete for prizes or just for the fun of it. �
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Always around Halloween in the fall and then sometime in the spring, The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays in Hendrix Theater. Prop bags are provided, there is a costume contest, and the crowd is always rowdy. Some people have streaked across the stage during the film, much to the amusement of the audience.
- Sonic Plaza Stakeout: The SPS works best when the Sonic Plaza is fully operational and involves going to see all of four sculptures emerge from the clock tower near Joyner Library consecutively, all in the same day. A rooster comes out and cockle-doodle-dooos in different pitches in the morning, and a grouping of miniature horns comes out at noon. At sunset, a canon rolls out, with pirate-like “heave-ho!” sound effects, and fires, releasing a puff of smoke. Then the light comes on under the mist cloud—which is fun to hide in when there is no wind—and the cloud rises thickly for several feet. At midnight, a jester emerges to an aural collage of carnival music and quotes about time.
- Step Shows: Step shows, sometimes performed as charity fundraisers, are sponsored several times a year by ECU’s historically African American Greek organizations. The competitions, which are between the different fraternities and sororities, showcase group-specific step routines and draw large crowds of students and alumni. Students should not be allowed to graduate unless they have attended at least one step show during their time at ECU.
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