Music, games and the smell of food filled the air on Friday at the University Student Union’s (USU) student-only Matador Nights.

Matador Nights is a free student event, featuring five different activity areas that open from 7 p.m. to midnight. The late-night event offered an immersive experience ranging from slushies and DJ sets to claw machines, airbrush tattoos and carnival games. Students could also enjoy free tacos with a choice of churros or fruit as they explored the event.

Upon entering, students received a lanyard with information about the various activities.

The fun-filled night differed from last year, featuring arcade games at the Northridge Center and additional DJ sets at Plaza Del Sol. John Pangan, a student event assistant at the USU programs department, explained he wanted to make Matador Nights as unique as possible and bring in a new spice each year.

“We brought back the popular ones, like the round-up carnival ride, like the claw machines, but we’re trying to change it up,” Pangan said. “So, we brought in an arcade, and we brought in some fun carnival games, just to make it more fun. We changed up the music this year, so last year we had two DJs, and this time around we brought in four.”

At the Grand Salon, neon nights lit up the place with LED seating and glowing slushies. Students could capture memories at a classic photo booth, a 360-photo booth and a high-angle photo booth.

Ashlei Patton, a graduate student studying counseling, attended the event after an hour of waiting and was excited to check out the activities.

“I think I was in line for, like, an hour, but now that I’m inside, I’m really excited,” Patton said. “I’m going to take a picture at the photo booth with my roomie. We like to collect those, and then we’re really interested in the claw machines.”

Many students headed to the back lot to test their luck at carnival games and take a spin on the Round Up ride.

“This is my second time coming to Matador Nights. The first night, we didn’t get the chance to win any prizes at all. I really got lucky today to get this prize,” said Simarjeet Singh, a mechanical engineering major who won a large donkey plush. “You know, it’s pretty fun, though. Getting time to spend with the people I have fun with.”

Matador Nights brought the campus community together, giving students a fun way to kick off the fall semester. Pangan said he first attended this event during his freshman year, where he met many of his close friends.

“I really think that with the fun elements like the high-angle photo booth, the claw machines, the little fun arcade, plus the slushies and the concert and everything we have here at the Matador Nights really just, like, gets you to be free and allows you to be social and really get to meet other people,” Pangan explained.

More information about future USU events can be found on their page.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Brianna Perez

DJ MINA on the stage on Plaza Del Sol during Matador Nights on Friday, Sept. 12.