While there are not many traditional activities associated with Green Key Weekend as there are with Homecoming and Winter Carnival, seniors interviewed by The Dartmouth reflected that the novelty of the weekend lies in the focus on being outside and having fun during the day.
Many students cited Block Party, an outdoor event hosted by Phi Delta Alpha fraternity, and "Gammapalooza," a dance, music and rap concert at Chi Gamma Epsilon fraternity, as two of their favorite events.
Allison Clark '12 said that Block Party is a fun, outdoor event on Webster Avenue that allows students to "hop from friend to friend and see a lot of people." Block Party allows students to enjoy the weather and spend time outside, Brian Seitz '12 said.
Gammapalooza is "easily the best concert on campus every year," Dave Seliger '12 said.
Grace Tiedemann '12 said the party features "a really good DJ" who is not a student at the College, dancing outside and people climbing into and out of the windows of Chi Gam. Dancing on the grass is a different and fun experience, and one year she "lost a belt outside" during Gammapalooza, Tiedemann said.
Though many seniors said they have fond memories of Gammapalooza, Seliger said he experienced "the scariest moment of [his] life" during the party in Spring 2011.
A light rig fell on him while he was standing onstage and was caught just inches from his face, Seliger said.
Whether or not they have particularly memorable stories from past Green Key weekends, seniors interviewed by The Dartmouth agreed that the weekend is different from any other.
While Seitz's Green Key experience has changed over his Dartmouth career as a result of being in season for a varsity sport during spring term for his first two years at Dartmouth, "the fun part about it is that it's outside during the day," he said. Seitz is a former member of the men's track and field team.
A large part of Green Key is about spending time outside, according to Chelsea Perfect '12.
She said that students enjoy the outdoors by lounging on couches and attending barbeques.
Seliger described Webster Avenue over Green Key weekend as "Disney Land with alcohol."
While Seitz said he likes that Homecoming and Winter Carnival have a richer and more significant history, he said his favorite big weekend is perhaps Green Key because it is essentially an excuse to party.
Dani Levin '12 said that returning alumni from Sigma Delta sorority, of which she is a member, and playing a game of "World War II," a variation of beer pong, are her favorite Green Key memories.
Tiedemann said enjoys played outdoor beer pong at off-campus houses as well as attending barbeques and an alumni bagel brunch at Sigma Delt, where she is a member.
While being outside and wearing "comfortable, pretty spring clothes," are unique aspects of Green Key, her least favorite part of the weekend is drinking during the day and "feeling hungover when it's time to go out again at night," Tiedemann said.
Levin said that Green Key is probably her favorite big weekend, but if she could change one thing she would centralize the events "so that everyone is at one party" as so much time is spent "running around trying to hit every single one."
While having things to do during the day makes Green Key different from other weekends, Clark said the most memorable moments she has had at Dartmouth were not on big party weekends, but on an "off-night" when her friends do something "crazy or fun."
While there are not as many traditions associated with Green Key as with other big weekends, the traditions are what make them "particularly enjoyable," Levin said.
Even though she said she has not let herself become too nostalgic yet, Clark said it is "hard to realize that you may not see these people again or see your friends for long periods of time" after graduation.
While big weekends may not define her experience at Dartmouth, it will be different to come back and experience them as an alumna, Clark said.
