The themed event nights for students known as Aztec Nights will be coming back with more activities this year to appeal to a wider audience of students.
Aztec Nights coordinator Jessi Moore said this year they are introducing “Fit Palooza,” an event that will be held in the Conrad Prebys Union, where students will be able to participate in various fitness activities such as Zumba and Yoga. Moore said they will also be providing healthy food choices.
This event, alongside a few other new ones, is being added in part due to student feedback that inspired an effort to appeal to a wider range of students.
“We’re always looking to add more activities to our events, to provide (more of a) variety,” Moore said.
San Diego State originally created Aztec Nights back in 2007 to give students safer, on-campus activity alternatives. Since then, the events have evolved to become large-scale productions that now include a Campus Carnival, the annual welcome back Templo del Sol festival, movie nights and midnight study breaks during finals season.
Most Aztec Nights events happen during the first weeks of the semester in order to provide students with a place to meet new people.
“I really like that freshman year it gave me a chance to meet people,” management junior Montana Farrow said.
Farrow said she also liked that Aztec Nights gave her and her friends something neutral to do where they could meet people without having to leave campus.
Accounting junior Sam Sundstedt said she didn’t like how some of the more popular events, like the Campus Carnival, were too crowded.
“You would have to wait a half hour to get on a ride (and) just because you were in line didn’t mean you would get on,” Sundstedt said.
Farrow agreed that the wait times for the carnival rides being too long and added that the security for the event didn’t feel all too secure.
Despite this, Farrow said she appreciated the social aspect of having the Aztec Nights to attend her freshman year and hopes to see more events, like laser tag, incorporated into future Aztec Nights.
Another new Aztec Nights event this year will be “Let’s Glow SDSU,” an 80s glow-in-the dark themed painting night.
The first Aztec Nights event of this school year will be held on Friday, Aug. 24 between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. at the Aquaplex to welcome back upperclassmen.
Students are required to bring a valid Red ID to enter and are allowed to bring one guest.
