Welcome Week at UCLA is a remarkable start to the academic year for new and returning Bruins. The festivities include Bruin Bash, which is a concert, dancing and movie in addition to an “enormous activities fair.” On top of these fun events, freshmen have other special activities to attend such as the Target Private After-Hours Shopping Event.

Bruin Bash begins the celebration on Sunday, Sept. 18 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Drake Stadium where UCLA’s campus events commission will host a music concert. This concert is one of the biggest at UCLA, and admission is free and only for UCLA students. So be sure to have a valid BruinCard as your ticket to Bruin Bash or else you will not be able to enjoy these events. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and the bands will begin to perform at 8 p.m. Check out bruinbash.ucla.edu for this year’s lineup announcement.

Then, from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., Bruins can walk to the LA Tennis Center for a dance or simply lounge around Bruin Plaza. To keep track of updates on Bruin Bash, visit bruinbash.ucla.edu. The midnight movie is an annual event that UCLA hosts at Ackerman Grand Ballroom the same night of the concert. UCLA has special privileges to pre-screen a movie before it opens in theaters. Bruins who want to watch the movie need to line up at Bruin Plaza around 9 p.m., three hours before the start of the movie because this event is so popular and seating is restricted to about 1,000 students. And of course, the only way to obtain a wristband into the movie is with a valid BruinCard. During the showing of the movie, there will be chances to win prizes by answering trivia questions about the movie and its actors.

The following day, Monday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., UCLA will host its Enormous Activities Fair for Bruins to learn all about community service, Greek life, culture, music, art, dance, sports and everything about UCLA life. Over a hundred clubs will be present at Drake Stadium to inform Bruins about what they do. Bruins will be able to sign up for clubs they are interested in and talk to representatives of those clubs.

Also, the fair is a great way to learn about job opportunities during the school year whether you are interested in working for UCLA housing or ASUCLA jobs on campus. There will be so much food and drinks in addition to games and prizes (Last year, printers that scan, copy and print were given out!). Undoubtedly, many will walk away with numerous free, useful things such as calendars and T-shirts.

If you are a freshman, the fun is on a completely different level! In addition to all the events of Bruin Bash, freshmen who dorm have the opportunity to attend Target’s after-hours shopping event. On Wednesday, Sept. 21, Target will treat UCLA freshmen to an exclusive event at their L.A. store on La Cienega Boulevard. Freshmen will board a bus at the dorms that takes them to Target to attend the event taking place from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Aside from shopping with friends for amazing deals on merchandise for school staples, Bruins will enjoy a live DJ, dancing, entertainment and even taking photos with the Target mascot, Bullseye. Food and drinks will be provided, including samples from Mars, Wrigley, vitaminwater and Kraft.

Even though classes will commence on Thursday, Sept. 22, hopefully all these fun and exciting events will pump everybody up to make the most of this new academic school year!

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