Saturday Night Frights: Cirque du Lune

Last October 21, 2023, the Enderun Hospitality Hub hosted its second Saturday Night Frights event, called Saturday Night Frights II: Cirque Du Lune. The circus and freak-themed Halloween party headed by EHHub members Cheska Viado, Chloe Ferguson, and Ishi Saquilayan was open to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and even guests from outside of Enderun are allowed to join in the circus.

This event would not have succeeded without the help of all our partner organizations. Participants got the chance to partake in the different perya booths, a Filipino inspired circus game booth, and they have also received freebies like food and a welcome drink thanks to our partners Enderun Executives, Atelier, Zonta, Enderun Food and Wine Society, Culinaire, and Korun. Aside from this, the first 100 registrants got a free loot bag as they entered and claimed their stubs and wristbands.

The program was opened by hosts Janna Aubreen Kairuz and Patricia ‘Patcy’ Zotomayor, who engaged and interacted with the participants, allowing them to show off some of their creative and impressive costumes. The participants did not disappoint with costumes that were unique, comedic, and even frightening ones. A bunch of their creative outputs were a reference to series characters, circus performers, and even a trending meme online.

The night wouldn’t have been complete without the wide selection of booths for registrants to enjoy a snack or a drink while participating in the event. Concessionaires like Extra Butter, Home Table Deli, 10.25 Cafe, Oui Tacos, FlipSide Griddle, and, of course, our very own IHM Organizations Culinaire and Enderun Food and Wine Society served some of the best food and drinks throughout the night.

To top it all off, it wouldn’t be a Saturday Night Frights Halloween party without various games and activities! Throughout the event, our hosts would mention a category such as “People wearing white sneakers”, and registrants who fall under that category would be caught by the assigned policemen and escorted to the jail booth, and the only way to get out is through a dare or to bail themselves out.

One of the highlights of the night – completely unique to this Halloween event – is magic. Participants had the opportunity to witness mind blowing tricks in the Magician’s room, where professional magicians Emmanuel Mallinllin and Jofer Abata amazed their audience with distinctive tricks and a mind-blowing performance.

Another hit with the participants was the “Kidnapper’s Lair”, a thriller-themed escape room centered around Jeffrey Meyers, a kidnapper and serial killer. The participants or detectives of the case were given 30 minutes to find evidence and clues to the location of the last two missing victims. The escape room also engaged participants in a healthy competition, the teams race to find the location of the kidnapper to officially bring the case to a close.

On a lighter note, registrants also visited the fun house, a great way to encourage laughter and fun during the event. To immortalize such memories (and the fantastic costumes) there was a photo booth set up that allowed participants to take pictures with each other as a remembrance of this unforgettable event.

To keep in line with the freakshow theme of the event, the organizers also planned out three circus acts for participants to watch and enjoy. The first circus act was by the Enderun Dance Crew, who prepared a dance number for this event, and they performed inside the BA building. Circus Act Two was by Jaycie Dayao, who serenaded the participants and set the mood for the event. Lastly, circus act three was by Nhaera Sy and Liam Villanueva, who performed a couple of duets for the participants as well.

To end the event, our hosts awarded the different winners with prizes. There were three sets of winners for the costume contest: one solo winner, one pair, and one group winner. Aside from this, winners of the escape room were also awarded prizes.

This event wouldn’t have been what it was without the extravagant decorations throughout the whole campus. The impressive planning and execution of the organizers are commendable, with more than 200 participants during the night. The event’s theme was showcased all around the school, and an enjoyable mood was maintained throughout the night. With that said, the event was an excellent follow-up to the first-ever Saturday Night Frights Halloween party, and it for sure left the participants looking forward to next year.