Hofstra University held its annual Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 18, on the Hofstra Intramural Fields. Carnival games lined the field for all to enjoy, and as Hofstra students lined up under the neon lights of the carnival rides, alumni reconnected with their Hofstra roots and families took the opportunity to explore campus. “I love seeing family [and] friends get together and go on a bunch of rides all together,” said Alondra Nolasco Rojas, a junior audio and radio engineering major.

Fall Fest allows for current and past students to form connections with one another.

“This is a wonderful community gathering. It’s a great way to bring everyone together and have some fun,” said Susan Poser, president of Hofstra University.

Fall Fest is a family-friendly event that allows for children of all ages to come together and have fun.

“This is lovely because it’s a great day, [there are] so many things for kids,” said David Henne, director for internship development and content strategy at the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. “The fact that they made [this area] for smaller kids is great. [It] shows that they care about the family.”

Henne attended Fall Fest with his five-year-old daughter Shelby, who took full advantage of the kiddie course to play with her friends.

Graduates were able to reconnect with old friends and get away from the stressors of everyday life.

“[I came back] to enjoy myself [and] let go,” said Donay Lewis, a Hofstra 2025 graduate. “The stressors of graduating college have been a lot, so coming back to college is very refreshing.”

Fall Fest kicked off with the Pride Expo, a showcase by Hofstra’s various fraternities and sororities. Each organization made an exhibit to see which group could put on the best show.

“I think as a freshman, this is a really good opportunity to get to explore the sororities and fraternities,” said Meera Kanaan, a freshman pre-medical studies major. “This is a fun, social event where you can get to see the different groups and socialize with members from them.”

The interactive exhibits provided a unique and welcoming environment for students and family alike to engage with Hofstra’s Greek life.

“I know we didn’t win, but at the end of the day I feel like we did such a great job,” said Owen Smith, a sophomore filmmaking major and member of Phi Kappa Theta. 

Another annual highlight of Fall Fest is Hofstra’s Pride Court Showcase – a celebration of student leaders who have contributed greatly to Hofstra’s student organizations and student life – as well as the crowning of the Pride Court Royalty. 

This year’s Pride Court crowned the following student leaders:

Duhan Lee, a senior early childhood education major.  

Saskia Laurie, a senior speech-language-hearing science and dance double major.

Ally DeMarco, a senior early childhood education major. 

Kyle Loeber, a senior business management major. 

“It was a full circle moment being Xavier Bell’s backup dancer for his Pride Court Showcase [in 2023] and being able to show my leadership now was a great experience,” said Laurie.

This year’s emcee, Dina Massery, noted that this is her favorite part of the event.

“I love crowning Pride Court Royalty,” Massery said, a Hofstra 2010 graduate and five time Fall Fest emcee. “It’s really cool to get to interview the students for a second, [and] everyone gets their moment on the [microphone], which I really love.”

Students got to experience live performances from Hello Brooklyn, a New York based cover band that has been performing for Hofstra’s Fall Fest for the past three years, as well as Hofstra’s premier dance team transcenDANCE. 

“We love performing here, it’s so much fun every year,” said Karl Markgraf, guitarist for Hello Brooklyn.

Following the crowning of the Pride Court came an incredible performance from this year’s headliner, Big Sean.

“I [want to] see what he performs here at a college level … his music is very early 2000’s so I [want to] see how [everyone] reacts to it,” said Farhan Alam, a senior journalism major.

Known for his debut album, “Finally Famous,” as well as various collaborations with artists such as Kanye West, Drake and Jhene Aiko, Big Sean brought an electric and energetic performance that left an impression on many students.

After Big Sean’s grand performance, students ended the night off watching fireworks light up the sky, marking the end of Hofstra’s 2025 Fall Fest.