On Oct. 31, NYU Abu Dhabi immersed itself in the Halloween spirit – from the Office of Social Responsibility’s decorations in the Campus Center, to Associate Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs and Dean of Students Kyle Farley dressing up as a White Walker from Game of Thrones and the Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann hosting a community trick or treating. The annual Halloween Ball, organized by the Student Government Programming Board in the Marketplace, brought the community together with students dressing up as Iron Man, Darth Vader, the Rock and numerous others. Mehak Sangani, Class of 2022, attended the Ball in a skeleton costume, fitting in with spiderwebs and witch props – her sling a non-intentional but useful addition.

Images by Sarah Afaneh

Various costumes brought characters to life, displaying students’ creativity. Hatim Benhsain, Class of 2021, put together a detailed costume of his favorite comic character – Marvel’s Loki from God of Stories – during the Low-Budget Cosplay event, organized by Strip Club, a Student Interest Group, earlier that day. Toby Le, Class of 2022, dressed up as a mummy while serving mocktails for the Halloween Ball.

Images by Sarah Afaneh

Andrew Riad, Class of 2022, used contact lenses called “dragon fire” to embellish his cheetah costume with a supernatural twist. Laila Al-Shamsi, Class of 2021, similarly used red contact lenses, complementing her bright red lipstick and false lashes, to complete her look.

Images by Sarah Afaneh

Fizza Shabbir and Sarah Saliba, Class of 2022, took us back to the 1960’s with their costumes. Both wore bandanas with their hair down and silver hoops to accessorize the look. In terms of makeup, Fizza used blue eyeshadow with a nude lip, while Sarah wore red lipstick and added on a pair of sunglasses.

Image by Sarah Afaneh

Sticking to classic Halloween costumes, Mariam Amer, Class of 2022, used make-up and simple props to dress up as a bunny. Meanwhile, Seif Amr, Class of 2022, still caught up in The Joker hype, wore a mask of his favorite comic character.

Halloween at NYUAD has become a tradition of creativity and community, bringing staff and students together for a weekend filled with both scares and laughter.