That throbbing noise you hear outside is the sound of Columbia students coming together for a rare moment of honest-to-goodness community. Head over to Low Plaza for the Chinese Students Club’s Night Market 2011: CU LIGHTS!  from 6 to 9 pm for an evening filled with free food, raffles, and sick student performances from Raw Elementz, Notes and Keys, Dhoom, Taal, and many more. The evening will also host famed food trucks Korilla BBQ and Big D’s Grub Truck, though the food won’t be quite as free as it was yesterday.

Once you’ve had your fill of nighttime delectables, mosey on over to Lerner Party Space at 7 pm for free candy, punch, a spooky Glee Club performance at CCSC’s Haunted House: The Dark Side of the Core. According to the Facebook event, “One might find a group of murderers, a fiery descent into hell, a cave full of half eaten limbs and broken skulls and maybe…something else….” We’re not sure what that “something else” might be, but we encourage you to find out for yourself. Just try not to get, like, eaten or something.

Stock gourd-like squash via Wikimedia Commons… although check back soon for more of Columbia’s own concoctions