In a dazzling display of lights, music and dance performances, the Organization of African and Caribbean Students (OACS) hosted their second annual Caribbean Carnival event. Thursday night in the McGarvey Commons. The event is a celebration of life and Caribbean culture celebrated around the United States and the Caribbean, usually during the month of October.

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“There’s always music, there’s always very colorful costumes… there’s always a lot of really big things happening,” Senior Aaryonna Fontes said about Carnival. Fontes is a member of the OACS and the President of the Association of Black Collegians (ABC), another organization in the Multi-Cultural Council.

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Carnival-goers were met with the unique sounds of popular Caribbean music, cultural Caribbean food, tables decorated with the flags of Caribbean nations and a photo section complete with a tropical background. The decorations included inflatable palm trees, pineapples and multicolored balloons designed to replicate the tropical environment of the Caribbean and a dance floor in the center.

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The night included a special performance from members of the Behrend Dream Queens (BDQ), an organization of dancers who perform to a diverse variety of music. For the Carnival, members of the BDQ were dressed in traditional Caribbean costumes adorned with decorative beads and feathers to model the costumes worn at Carnival parades around the world.

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“We decided to do dance performances and different types of stuff just to showcase [Carnival] instead of just having people listen to Caribbean music,” said junior Wendy Nevelus, President of the OACS and Vice President of the BDQ.

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The OACS exceeded their attendance expectations, receiving over 40 people at this year’s Carnival, a sharp increase from the anticipated 25. “We had to move in new chairs, tables, everything, so it was a great turnout,” explained Nevelus.

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Both Nevelus and Fontes hope the event educates the student body about Caribbean culture and dance moves and gives students insight into what the Caribbean is really like.

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“I think it would be a very good way for students who have never seen things like this to at least branch out a little bit and see something that I know that they really haven’t or at least find some type of information that they would not normally look for anywhere else,” said Fontes.

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Junior Ray Garasich experienced his first Carnival this Thursday and describes the event as a great learning experience where he was able to learn about different cultures and countries and meet many new people he would not have otherwise. “Everyone was really excited and proud to support their place of origin. That stuff was cool,” explained Garasich.

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Fontes is also a choreographer for BDQ, and said that attending Carnival and becoming involved with the OACS and the BDQ was an opportunity for her to seek the comforts of her family heritage. It also gave her the ability to experience a cultural event like those she has experienced since her youth.

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“Honestly, it kind of just feels like a little closer to home. It’s also really nice to see different cultures coming to Behrend, and I think that it means more because of a lot of stuff that’s going on in the world, so coming to events like this not only make you feel safer when this is a part of something that you do at home, but it also makes you feel a lot more welcome in the area,” said Fontes.

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In the future, Nevelus hopes to expand Carnival by including a live band performance and more Caribbean decorations. She also hopes to find professional Caribbean performers from around the Erie area to join the BDQ in performances.

The OACS hosts several other events throughout the year, including African Odyssey, Heritage Night, and various events commemorating Black History Month that are open to all members of the student body, faculty, and staff.

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“[The OACS and Carnival] opens a forum for people of all nationalities, all religions, all everything to come and, even if they don’t talk, just enjoy what’s going on, just enjoy a different culture,” said Fontes at the end of the event.