Thursday night at the Hurt Building, women arrived in cocktail dresses and heels, while men arrived in their suits or semi-formal attire to attend the Homecoming Royal Ball in the Venetian Room.
Georgia State freshman Montaea Smith said she decided to go to the ball for school spirit.
“I didn’t really do anything else,” she said. “I was like, ‘This should be fun.’ I got all of my exams out of the way so I feel good about that. I wanted to use it as a celebratory night to get in the spirit.”
Smith wore a navy blue and white polka dot dress that she said she already had but was her first time wearing it. Though she wasn’t wearing a mask for this year’s theme, masquerade, she said she was looking forward to seeing everyone else’s.
“That’s why I wanted to come. I was really excited because I’ve never been to anything like that before,” she said.
Nikki Stewart, a Georgia State sophomore, said she too was excited about the masquerade.
“I like that kind of thing. My sixteenth birthday party was a masquerade,” she said.
Stewart said this was her first time attending the Royal Ball. She said she too wanted to get in the spirit of homecoming and that this event seemed like an event she’d enjoy.
Last year’s homcoming court presented this year’s court one by one around 10 p.m. The 2012 Homecoming Court put on a surprise dance performance that resulted in a very excited crowd with cheers and applause.
All 800 tickets sold out at 4 p.m. Thursday. Around the time of the dance number, the Venetian room was quite crowded and the night was still early.
