When the Street goes silent on Fridays, Blackbox lights up the night with "Island Spice," "Spring Break" or another clubbing theme.
The substance-free night club, located in Wilcox Hall, has been drawing crowds of up to 220 people every week since it opened in February. From 11:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., students enjoy the dancing, the atmosphere and the "mock-tail" bar.
"We try to keep it fresh, fun and cool," said Mike Wood '08, one of Blackbox's student directors. "We want a night in the Blackbox to resemble a night in a club in New York, L.A., Tokyo, Madrid or London."
Wood helped transform BlackBox, once solely a stage for student performers, into a night club last winter after Marguerite Browning, master of Wilson College, conceived the idea. Browning still oversees the club but has left the planning and the day-today operations entirely in the hands of students.
Wood declined to specify the budget but said that BlackBox stays under the average cost per party for events sponsored by the Trustees' Alcohol Initiative.
The seven current directors of BlackBox, many of whom are involved in the night club scene worldwide, are responsible for planning the weekly theme parties.
This year, BlackBox is starting off in style. Last Friday's "White Party" — in which guests dressed in white clothes — was just the beginning of this fall's lineup. In the next few weeks, BlackBox will host various live musicians as well as a "dress-to-impress" contest.
As for the future, the members of BlackBox hope to join forces more regularly with some of the cultural groups on campus, so that their parties can offer an even more diverse atmosphere.
"The overall purpose of the BlackBox is to bring together a wide and diverse variety of Princeton students," said Raphael Corkhill '07, another member of the BlackBox team of directors.
Some students still meet BlackBox with skepticism, however. Olivia Hamilton '09 said, "I don't know what it is. It creeps me out."
But the club has also found a loyal audience.
"It's just about dancing and having fun," Amirah Mercer '09 said, while Gabrielle Wilson '09 said, "I just dance all night long."
The students behind BlackBox hope it will continue to grow.
"This club hasn't been around for very long, but I think BlackBox is onto something big, and people are taking notice," Wood said.
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